


Sigil

by Bodhi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Blood, Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Emotional Manipulation, Homophobia, M/M, Masturbation, Mind Games, Oral Sex, Science Experiments, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-01-12 05:13:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1182333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bodhi/pseuds/Bodhi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is Thor movies AU. Thor was not exiled and sent to Midgard, but Loki was. Thor is the first and the favorite son of Odin, as usual, here. </p><p>Of course, such a state of matters doesn’t suit Loki.</p><p>There are genetic experiments, Amsterdam and tropical forests of Africa, SHIELD chasing and Loki fleeing and so much more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Amsterdam

Loki sighed, closed the door and sat in a leather chair at the large window. It was in the Bjartevördur Corporation office in a tall skyscraper in the center of Amsterdam, and Loki usually liked to look at the excellent view. But this day was a rather busy one.

“I’m glad to see you, Mr. Einarsson. What's your name, again? Thorvald?”

“Thorvald. Thorvald, that is.”

Loki looked at the large man, noticing his short blond hair, ice-blue eyes and prominent muscles.

“You know, you remind me of somebody…” Loki said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure we haven’t met earlier?”

The surprise on the face of Thorvald seemed genuine. “No, sir, I don’t think so. I found out about this place yesterday while I was looking for a job. You said that you needed a bodyguard, and I used to work for a military company.” 

“I’ve read your CV, yes. They seemed to like you out there. Where did you go?”

“Can’t reveal the details, sir. But it was in Africa. Had been there for five years, then retired, and now I’m looking for a job.”  

Loki sighed. “Yes, _that_ you’ve told me already.”

The eagerness of those blue eyes bothered him. That _Thorvald_ looked disturbingly like Thor. But he hadn’t even remotely got such an aura of power which was always surrounding Thor. 

“He’s just like a large plush bear,” Loki thought. “Dangerous bear, but he’s a _human_.”  Of course, Thorvald would never be able to defeat a god or jotunn, even in a close combat. But still, Loki needed a bodyguard and a man who he would be able to sharpen his _conversational_ skills on, here in this blasted Midgard. 

Loki looked at him again, trying not to pay attention to hefty biceps, wide shoulders, and sheer radiance of man’s eyes, and frowned.

“Thorvald… Oh, well, I think I’ll call you Thor. That’s so much shorter. I think you’re suited for filling that vacancy. You’ll be constantly escorting me, in all hours of a day and a night. You can take a furlough if I only allow you so. Do you agree to those terms?”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeysson… sir.”

“Excellent. You can’t tell anyone about anything you see here. Our corporation deals with sensitive work in many fields, mainly scientific work but others as well. So…”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ok, you can go.”

When Loki was left alone, he started to read Thorvald’s CV again. Stunning features of his future bodyguard reminded him of Thor’s ones too much. 

_He can’t be Thor? Can he? Impossible…_

Loki could not defeat his worries, though.

_Anyways, so be it. They say ‘Keep your friends close and enemies even closer’._

**

The bodyguard went down the corridor, following Loki. 

“These are our labs, I usually spend several hours a day here,” Loki said. “You’ll be following me here and then you have to stay in the office until I tell you to come down here. Oh yes, and I’ll give you all information about people visiting the labs – photos, names, contacts, etc. If you notice someone suspicious, tell me. We’ve got security cameras, electronic cards and retina scanners, but you never know.”

Thor calmly nodded and continued to go after him. 

Loki suddenly stopped, trying to discern something from the stone expression of his bodyguard. “Our corporation has currently been working on deciphering human genome. There are interesting medical discoveries to be made, in different areas. People’s health, genetic engineering, you know. Oh, wait, have you heard about genome at all?”

Having said that, Loki frowned, trying to guess whether Thor was paying attention or just feigning interest. But his empty eyes just looked at Loki. 

“Yes, I think that you aren’t smart enough for that,” Loki said, trying to gauge any reaction. 

_Dost not thou dare speaketh with thy twisted tongue._

The bodyguard blinked and began, “I haven’t heard about that, sir. Anyways, I’m here for security reasons. I can assure you that your protection is my greatest priority.” 

“Sorry,” Loki smiled and held out his hand. “Sometimes I forget that most people aren't up to date in that area. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

“As you wish, sir.” Thor shook his hand.

Later in the labs, having to give orders to his European subordinates and a small and graceful Chinese assistant girl Li Xiao, Loki was not able to stop casting covert glances at the bulky figure of Thor staying quietly near the door. 

**

Later that night, Loki was standing in the apartments in his condo in Downtown Amsterdam. No sounds could be heard in the room with thick brick walls and marble floors, apart from his voice, chanting, spell casting. 

Violet light began to glow in the room, and Loki suddenly made a pause. The light flared up. Then he took out a strange knife, looking exactly like it was made in some Midgard factory and was intended for hunting, with Scandinavian runes on the blade. 

Loki closed the palm of his left hand on the blade and winced. He was never able to get accustomed to pain. 

Then he sat on the tiles of the floor and drew three runes on them with his blood. Mists began to form and twirl in air while Loki was continuing to sing.  

Then he stopped. 

Nothing could be seen at all in the twirls of the mist. 

“Again,” Loki sighed. 

_It’s strange that Thor can not be found in all nine worlds of Yggdrasil. Is he dead?_

Loki threw off the knife and just kept sitting there, staring blindly at the crudely crafted wall in the darkness. 

**

Loki screwed his eyes, finally noticing a bulky figure of Thor, who had been standing at the door, at first, and was sitting on the chair after that, patiently waiting for his boss to escort him home in this late hour. The laboratory was mostly empty at 11pm, with only three of researchers left in the room, being involved in a half-hearted discussion about some technical question.  

“Oh, here you are. Let’s get you something to do, too; it seems bodyguards are useless nowadays.”  

Loki tried to stifle a surge of wicked joy as his bodyguard gritted his teeth. But still, Thor answered, after a pause though, in the course of which he was apparently trying to persuade himself not to kill his boss. 

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“You can take that box with tubes and follow me. Quickly, we haven’t got all the night long.”

Thor carefully lifted a huge box with test tubes and labels attached to them and went after Loki.

The door with combination lock produced a sound and closed after them.

Thor halted, discovering nearly infinite rows of shelves in a storehouse with different boxes stacked on them, apparently without any visible order. 

He frowned, turning around and raising his eyebrows. “Where must it go?”

Loki pointed to the refrigerator compartment standing at the wall and came up to it, entering a code on the pad.

“On the third shelf in the refrigerator, here. Try not to break them in process.” 

Thor lifted the box and very carefully placed it on the shelf, trying not to pay attention to wreaths of freezing air coming out from the refrigerator. His glance suddenly came upon Loki’s hand holding its door, and he held a breath.

In whirls of cold air the hand of his boss was getting slightly bluish. But that sight didn’t last for long; Loki, wondering what was it that Thor was interested in so much, traced his glance and shut the door at once. Then he turned around to Thor and smiled, putting another hand on his shoulder. 

“I think that’s all for today.”

Thor glanced at it and answered nothing.

**

They went out in the warm Amsterdam night a few minutes later, an air was damp and mists were spreading down the streets quickly. The white lights burnt unusually soft, street sounds were subdued, and all surrounding them seemed surrealistic.

“Let’s go to a bar out there,” Loki said, pointing to a small neon signboard. “I’ve got nothing to do better this night. Would you like to drink with me?”

The following objections of the bodyguard were dismissed with Loki’s usual audacity. 

So for now, they were sitting at the round table in the corner, Loki was sipping cognac from a shot glass whilst Thor was looking at his, frowning at it at first and then gulping it in one fluid motion. 

“Do you want to order another one?”

“No.” 

“It’s strange. You looked like a man who could enjoy it.”

“I could. But I am on duty.”

“Nonsense. You could take a break; I saw how you were sitting on that stupid chair all the evening.”

Thor grudgingly agreed to drink a shot, then one more…  The eyes of his boss were unusually radiant and Loki had amused expression on his face, having trying not to smile. 

After a fifth shot, Loki leaned to him across a table and asked, “More?”

Thor started to answer something, but then noticed how Loki covered his hand with his own.

“I think, boss, that you’ve had enough.” Thor said, lifting his shot glass and drinking golden liquid left there. 

Loki laughed. 

“That, I have.”

**

In the condo, dark apart from violet accent lights on the walls, Loki sat on the sofa and tore off his jacket, rolling up sleeves of his shirt after that.

“I think you should stay here at the condo as it’s useless to send you to wherever you choose to sleep nowadays.” 

Thor shrugged and sat on the sofa. 

Loki went strangely silent, so that Thor cast a glance at him, not being able to discern whether his boss was sleeping yet. 

He seemed rather appalled when he felt Loki’s hand on his knee. 

“Stop it.”

“Can’t we just spend a night together?”

“I’m not a gay.”

“Come on, we’re in Amsterdam, of all places.” Loki’s hand was on his crotch already; Thor slightly squeezed it and tried to pry it out, though without any result.

“It’s just the stereotype. I’ve never been with men, I…”

“Maybe you should try it out?” Loki finally halted his molestation and sat on Thor’s lap instead. Seeing Thor’s frightened eyes and a fearful expression, rather unusual for such a large man, Loki sighed and put his hands on Thor’s shoulders, embracing him. 

“You can just jack me off. It won’t hurt you.” He whispered in Thor’s ear. Then his tone changed. “Or do you wish to tell me that you’ve never done it to yourself?”

“Yes, but I…”

“Then just do it. I won’t ask for more.” And, having looking at Thor apparently trying to invent an excuse without any success, Loki nudged him, “Stop thinking and just go for it. You’ve never been a smart one.”

Thorvald’s arms were strained under Loki’s body. For one fleeting moment Loki was preparing for a throw in the wall, for an attempt of suffocation or something even more violent…

Nothing happened. Thor slightly relaxed, held out his hand, took a belt of Loki’s trousers and unstrapped it. Then his hand found a cock in Loki’s underwear; his palm closed on it. Loki bent in his arms with rising pleasure, feeling Thor running a hand up his cock cautiously, from its base to the tip and then slightly scraping a slit.

Loki was pushing in his hand once, twice as Thor’s strokes were becoming steadier and faster. 

“Thor?” And when he didn’t hear an answer, Loki opened eyes and looked in his face. Thor’s face was entirely devoid of expression, his teeth were gritted and eyes were looking somewhere else, far, far away. “Thoor!”

And then Loki squeezed Thor’s hands tightly in the throes of his orgasm. The moment of the pure bliss left him stunned.

Loki fell on Thor’s hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bjartevörður means “bright guard”, from bjarte –bright, vörður – guard in Icelandic.


	2. Non-human

Corridors of Bjartevördur Corporation office were dark and empty, as usual in this hour. Loki had sent his bodyguard to his place an hour ago, telling him that he would be working in office all night. Thor obeyed, not without a relief. Loki had been trying to talk him into a conversation all the day, but Thor seemed not to be inclined to talk and Loki decided not to press the matter.

An hour was spent in the study of medical reports, composed accurately by his assistant Xiao Li. Then sound of video call rang out. Loki pressed the button on the remote and looked at the screen wearily.

An agitated face of his assistant appeared.

“Mr. Laufeysson, I think you should see that. Finally, it seems that we have a success! I thought we would never…” She made a pause abruptly, then she was pointing out somewhere behind her, pressing a hand to her mouth in an astonished gesture. Her eyes went wide. 

“Ok, I’ll be down there in a minute.”

Loki quickly threw off the papers and run out of the room, not paying any attention to the scattered sheets.

He went out of the elevator which delivered him on the 9th underground level and abruptly stopped in front of a massive armored door. With a frantic haste, Loki started to dig in his pockets, searching a card granting an access on this level. When it was finally found, Loki had to have his eye retina scanned yet.  Only after these procedures were completed, something behind the door rumbled and it slowly began to open. The LED light on the scanner changed to green and Loki came in, running to the small crowd of people bunched up inside.

There was a body of a large man lying on the low table behind the glass wall. Loki looked at him with bated breath. At first, a man looked motionless like a statue, but then Loki realized he was breathing steadily.

All his body was greased in dark fluids, pipes and manipulator arms were hanging down from the glass ceiling, covered all over in the same dark fluids.

In the chamber, full of people, silence was strained. One could hear only sounds of a life sustenance system. 

“Is he _alive?_ ” Loki asked, overcoming his astonishment.

“Yes! Oh Gods, yes…” Xiao Li seemed on the verge of passing out.

**

At the first streak of dawn, night clouds were dissolving quickly in Amsterdam sky. Tiles in the streets were still wet from a night rain. Damp cold air was refreshing, and Loki breathed it with pleasure.

Thor was standing near Loki’s BMW X5, watching intensely as Loki approached the car.

“Home.” Loki said, as he had made himself comfortable in the rear.

Thor’s large body had not nearly enough room in the front seat, and Loki, observing broad shoulders of his bodyguard from the rear, congratulated himself yet again with buying a large vehicle.

Thor’s massive hands were holding a steering wheel expertly, he drove like a pro and his manner of doing so was beyond praise.

Loki’s glanced yet again at Thor’s back, following all the way up the spine to a wide neck and a crewcut blond hair. Its sight reminded him clearly of the night before that one, when Thor laid him on the sofa carefully after Loki’s orgasm, turned and went out of the room. Later in the morning Loki had found him sleeping in the kitchen. Thor was sitting at the table peacefully, a head on his hands.

Loki could not stop himself from holding out a hand and touching him on the shoulder.

“Do you know that small shop near our condominium? Don’t forget to go there and buy something to eat for us both.”

“Ok.”

Loki gently touched Thor’s neck with the tips of his fingers, caressing it.

“Boss?”

“What?”

“You’re preventing me from driving.”

Loki smiled and said, “It should not bother you,” but took his hand away.

**

Loki tossed and turned for an hour already in his bed until he surrendered and came out from the bedroom. The bright morning light greeted him in the kitchen where he discovered Thor silently eating something from the refrigerator.

“You’re not sleeping?”

“I can’t.” Loki shrugged and sat beside him at the table, opening the package of some fast-food and beginning to eat avidly. “A great success in our researching, you can’t even imagine what…” He interrupted himself noticing Thor staring at him, and shrugged.

“Anyways, it’s all unfinished yet. But I’m just hyperventilated and can’t sleep. You know how it goes…”

“I do.”

“You?” Loki stopped and stared at Thor. At his scrutiny, Thor shrugged and continued to eat.

“Anyways,” Loki repeated, closing the package and tossing it in a bin, “I think we can just do something better. To fuck, for example.”

Thor froze and then said slowly, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“And what if I order you to?”

Thor shrugged and said, “I’ll decline.”

“What are you so afraid of? It’s just a sex, nothing more. I can even lay under you if that’s what this all about.”

“No.”

“I should just fire you, you know.” Observing as that statement hit the target, Loki added, with a sudden joy, “Because I can.”

After a short pause, Thor grunted, “You’ve won, boss,” and followed after him in the bedroom.

Loki had quickly disposed of his pajamas and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting for Thor to strip naked and watching with a fascination, how Thor was taking his shirt off. His muscles were enormously large and well-defined as if Thor had been a bodybuilder. Loki watched at their shapes, suddenly forgetting how to breathe.

Thor turned to him, noticed the attention and averted his eyes. With a gloomy face he took off his trousers and then touched the band of his underwear.

“Wait,” Loki said abruptly and licked his lips. When Thor stopped and looked at him, Loki beckoned Thor to him with his hand. He placed his hands on Thor’s sides and squeezed his palms slightly. The muscles under his fingers were as hard as a stone, and Loki touched them with the tips of his fingers. Then he made the exact same thing which was so rudely interrupted two nights ago: he put his hand on Thor’s crotch and squeezed it.

He heard an exhalation somewhere from above, but hadn’t stopped. Loki began to fondle Thor through the warm cloth of the underwear instead. Thor’s member began coming to life, and Loki had defined its outline under a fabric.

Having admired the result of his groping, Loki pulled the cloth down and spent several seconds, looking at the Thor’s cock, darkened from blood and twined with veins.

Then he spread himself on the bed and bent his knees, making his anus clearly visible for Thor to take.

“Come here.”

Thor bent over him, raising himself on arms, and tried to slide into Loki. The head of his cock went inside the anus and then Thor stopped, apparently trying not to make an error and not to tear it. Then he sighed and drove it all up in one fluid motion.

Loki winced, and waited for a pain to subside whilst stroking his own penis.

“Don’t just stand here, Thor, fuck me,” he breathed, the feeling of Thor’s member inside him made Loki mad with desire.

Thor went into motion, his movements powerful and precise. Loki had raised himself slightly, embracing Thor. He felt his anger, and a determination, and a growing desire.

Thor’s cock suddenly became too hot in him, and Loki came with a groaning. He leant back on the pillows and was watching idly as Thor came, too, after several more hits inside him, and then Loki closed his eyes.

**

“There will be a board meeting in a few minutes,” Loki told his bodyguard, while they were going up in the elevator. ”With several guests. Your job will be to stand behind my chair and to _observe_. Do you understand?” 

And, not listening to Thor’s answer, Loki came out from the elevator and went into a meeting room. There were already a lot of people, wearing business suits, sitting at the round table and exchanging words with whoever happened to be nearby.

There were two groups of them, though, which were remarkably different from others. First group was of the Chinese, consisting of two men and one woman, impeccably well dressed, and the other one was of dark-skinned military men. Apparently, their leader in the center had a very high military rank.

After Loki had taken a seat, the board meeting began.

A seriously-looking businessman began to talk.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m CEO of Bjartevörður Corporation, and Mr. Laufeysson out there is our deputy director general,” he nodded at Loki. Loki smiled charmingly to all of them.

“Our invited guests are deputies of a Chinese medical corporation, specializing in bioengineering.” CEO nodded in the direction of Chinese guests.

“And this is our guests from Africa; they represent a private military company named ‘Monsoon’.” There was another nod in the direction of servicemen.

CEO continued, “I’ve invited you all to this meeting as we have got a significant success in our researching since the last time we had seen each other. Mr. Laufeysson, please talk.”

Loki stood up and came up to the screen installed on a wall of the meeting room.

“Gentlemen… and ladies,” he corrected himself quickly, noticing the Chinese deputy woman, “I’d like to tell you about our most classified project. Several years ago, five years, exactly, we had met here in order to start a secret project, targeted on creating of an advanced human race suitable for taking a part in military conflicts. In other words, we concentrated on creating a super-soldier. I won’t go into greater details, but now we can tell you that our attempts were successful. We took a genome of a human and modified it. Then we created the body of the specimen of this new race using a 3D-printer.”

Loki clicked buttons on the remote and pointed at direction of the screen where an image of the man had appeared. He was at least 7 feet 1 inches tall and his bulky figure was well-muscled. Loki ensured that an attention of his audience was captured by that photo, and went into the following explanation clicking on the remote and showing other photos of the man made from different angles.

“His strength is thrice of that one of a usual man, he is also very agile. But first and foremost, he is rather intelligent, and later that trait will help him greatly in planning and making a strategy. He,” Loki stopped and turned over to cast a glance at Thor, “can also speak. He speaks only English, for now, as most of the people surrounding him have been English. No Dutch. But I don’t think that will be a problem.”

After several excited exclamations from his audience, he continued, “But of course, that’s just mere images of him and that will not be enough. Do you wish to see him? I can order to bring him here.”

The audience went into silence, and then, burst suddenly into cheerful shouts. Loki smiled and raised hands, trying to restore calm. Then he took out a cellphone and said something into it.

Several minutes later, the door opened and three people came in. One of them was enormously tall; his eyes scanned all people present in the room. With amusement, Loki was watching how Thor went from a relaxed posture into an alert one under his scrutiny.

“Here he is. Does anyone want to ask him a question?” Loki asked.

The audience went into an astonished silence, again.

“Oh well, I think no further discussion needed.” Loki turned to the man and said, “That’s all, you can go now.”  The man nodded and went out. The persons accompanying the man went out after him.

“So, you can see now, we’ve got to start the other stage of our project.” Loki said. “We can’t continue it here in Netherlands, it’s too dangerous. The attention of secret services of all prominent countries of the world will be drawn to us. Our friend here,” he nodded at the dark-skinned military man at the table, “consented to giving us his base located in one African country to continue our researching.”


	3. Airport

A rain was pouring from the sky, when Loki and Thor arrived to the Amsterdam airport Schiphol. The weather had been worsening with each passing hour, water streams were boiling up on the pavement. Whilst they were going in the direction of an airport building, Loki’s hair and his wool coat became damp immediately.

A high glass ceiling of a building had to provide a lot of light in sunny days. As for now, it was dark and gloomy inside.

Loki came up to a business check-in counter, intending to register for a flight.

“I’m so sorry, sir, but your flight to Cameroon is delayed,” a girl at the counter said, giving him a boarding pass. “The weather condition, you know.”

“For how long?” Loki frowned.

“For three hours.”

Thor was standing nearby; the expression on his face was rather dark. The girl looked at him, smiling, apparently trying to be polite to a handsome stranger, but Thor didn’t react, and she gave up her attempts.

They went to a lounge zone deliberately, where Loki noticed a free buffet for clients and took himself a coffee and sandwiches, and then they had sat on soft leather armchairs located near a working zone. Loki’s coat was still damp, but he gave up attempts to do something about it, and just sat there, inhaling a scent of moist and warm wool.

**

An armchair was soft and comfortable, and Loki dozed off for a while. He awakened an hour later, his coat was almost dry. VIP zone was not crowded, but Loki heard scraps of a conversation of a couple sitting on armchairs next to him. It seemed that they were complaining about the weather changed for worse. Deafening rolls of a thunder confirmed their words.

_The flight was delayed again, apparently. How much longer can this go on?_

Loki shifted in the seat and suddenly noticed Thor’s absence. He straightened and cast a glance on his surroundings. There was no Thor in close proximity.

Loki frowned and took out his cellphone, selecting Thor’s number in contacts.

There was a signal and then a mechanical voice answered him, “The person you have called is not available”.

Loki stood up slowly. His sixth sense which had been rescuing him repeatedly in barren frozen lands of Jotunheimr and vast steppes of Vanir suddenly came alive. A sense of imminent danger made high a level of an adrenaline in his blood.

_I can’t stay here, thoroughly exposed. Too dangerous._

Loki’s eyes found a quiet spot upstairs which was nearly invisible from VIP zone below, and he went there, at a slow pace, scanning his surroundings at the same time. So far, nobody suspicious had been detected.

Upstairs, there was an even emptier area. Loki made a couple of steps from an up escalator and then stopped.

On the other side, he noticed stairs leading to a third level. Descending from there, with Mjollnir hanging from his waistband and a group of soldiers holding assault rifles and following after him, Thor came.

Loki gritted his teeth and went forth, unbuttoning the coat. Then he thrust out his hands, and bright globes of light flew from the palms of his hands and into the soldiers.

They went down like dolls, simultaneously, and Loki had paid an attention to them no more. His eyes were glued to Thor; having seen that, Thor took his hammer and, slowly but steadily, began to rotate it above his head.

Loki ran forward, trying to shorten the distance in order to get into a close combat. His hands were thrust out again, and he was making passes, casting a spell. Thor’s hammer interrupted him; Loki had got to go out of his way.

He tried to cast the spell again, but Thor was close, too close to him to do it. His hammer had returned to him already, and it went down.

Loki’s hands rose in a desperate attempt of protecting his head. A powerful discharge of electricity made him temporarily stunned; Loki was engulfed by pain, not seeing anybody. He fell down.

Loki came to in a minute, his hands were hurting mercilessly. His silver rings of protection were melted down, and metal trickled down his fingers, causing a severe pain.

Loki felt Thor above him, moving and breathing like a big animal. He struck desperately at Thor with all magic he had, at the same time squeezing his injured fingers around an amulet of invisibility on his neck.

Thor was lifted up in air by the sheer force of the spell and flied several meters, landing in a pile of debris and broken ceiling glass.

Loki shakily rose to his feet and fled.

**

Loki sat in one of numerous Amsterdam cafés, wearing an illusion which was making him to look like a standard Dutch teen, 18 years old. He had ordered a steaming cup of coffee and a croissant. The barman smiled at him.

“Do you wish a joint?”

“Yes.” Loki said, looking at his hands fixedly. An hour ago he had bought an anti-burn ointment with a bandage in a drugstore. He had also cut his gloves, changing them into ones without fingers. An ointment was burning his hands now and all this hurt like hell.

_And it took me so much time to enchant each of those rings; all those valiant efforts had gone down the drain now._

Loki took the cup clumsily and brought it to his mouth, gulping a hot coffee.

_When I see Thor again, I’ll kill him._

Then he leant back on the seat and lighted a joint. The TV in the corner of the café was telling about a terrorist act which had happened several hours ago in Schiphol airport.

A journalist was telling before the camera what he saw. Apparently, the terrorist act had taken place on the third floor of an airport building; there was a strong explosion which had killed two military men happened to be nearby. 

Then a lot of glass and debris was shown, for all those interested. Loki watched intently, trying to find any signs of Thor but he saw only a lot of policemen and frightened people there.

When the journalist started to interview some young girl with tears in her eyes, Loki leant back on the seat again and closed his eyes, smoking a joint.

_The war has just begun._

Several days later, Loki flied to Cameroon from another airport, under a false identity of Mr. Paul Smith.

**

Douala airport was a low two-storied building with a scarce number of passengers. There was a big black Hummer with slightly tinted glass standing nearby, with two dark-skinned men in some military uniforms hanging around it, and Loki came up to them.

“Are you Mr. Laufeysson, sir?” one man asked him in broken English.

“Yes.”

“We have been waiting for you, three days already. Sit in there, sir, please, and we’ll go.”

Loki sat inside the Hummer. An air was very damp and it was very hot in the street, there also was no an air-conditioner in the Hummer, so he decided to take off his coat. Then, after a short pause, he also took off his gloves, demonstrating his bandages in a process. Soldiers were looking sideways at his hands with an apparent interest, but said nothing.

Douala, an economic capital of Cameroon, looked like another standard town across a globe to him, apart from exotic trees and strange vegetation and the fact that there weren’t many cars in the streets. But Loki hadn’t got much time to appreciate the view from the window of the Hummer.

Soon, in the suburbs, an asphalt town road changed to an earth one, with a lot of puddles. Red clay was forming deep gullies and a speed of the SUV had dropped considerably. Trees on the sides of the road were mostly blocking up the view. The Hummer went to the south, past lakes and mangrove swamps and wooden boats of local farmers, and, sometimes, villages.

The sky was dark and there was a sense of a thunderstorm nearing. At first, Loki stayed alert but then he decided against it.

_Another continent, another town. No man can find me out there so fast._

**

They were riding for a couple of hours already; the thunderstorm had finally broken out. The road became even worse and also rather steep. A wall of cold water made surroundings to pass from Loki’s view. Sometimes Hummer met other cars of local people, stuck in the mud and water. But as Loki had once inclined to the SUV window, trying to see them, men in the Hummer prevented it immediately, making him to move backwards.

“Sorry, sir, but it could be a trap.” One dark-skinned man with an Uzi said. “We’ve got strict instructions.”

Another one, not knowing English as well as his partner and thus preferring to remain silent most of the time, nodded eagerly.

For the same reason, they hadn’t allowed Loki to open the SUV window in order to get some fresh air. The lack of air-conditioner made him to roll up his sleeves. He was also intending to try out unbuttoning his shirt, but then he noticed their more than interested stares and decided against it, cursing inwardly those barbarians who hadn’t obviously seen a white man, or for that matter, jotunn, in all their life.

**

It was dark, when they reached a checkpoint of a military base. Loki leant back on his seat wearily, listening to guards arguing with his escort.

_Maybe, it was not a good idea, after all. I should have stayed there in Netherlands. But…_

He had no time to think that through, guards parted to let them pass, grumbling, and the Hummer continued its riding.

They drove up to a long building hardly visible in the darkness, and the Hummer stopped.

Loki went out of it and came up to a group of men who greeted him. He was following them into the building after that.

The same man, whom he had met on that business meeting in Amsterdam, approached him. 

“Hello, sir. You’re welcome. I’m a commanding general Jean-Paul Dibango, and those people are my subordinates.” He was telling that to Loki, inspecting him at the same time.

“Hello, Mr. Dibango.” Loki shook him by the hand.

“Where is your luggage?”

“It was lost,” Loki shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter. Have my colleagues and their equipment arrived yet?”

“Yes, they are sound and safely, sir. You can proceed to work tomorrow.”

“And… _him?_ ”

“Oh, him?” Dibango nodded understandingly. “Yes, he’s here, too.”

“Thank gods. I’d like to go to sleep now,” Loki said, and not paying further attention to the general, went after his escort.

**

Loki wake in an uncomfortable bed with not very fresh sheets in one of rooms on the base. All the furniture was rather Spartan here. He sighed, remembering his comfortable Dutch apartments and his luxury chambers in Asgard palace.

_It doesn’t matter. I’ll come back no more._

Loki sat on the bed and hid his face in his palms. The pain in his hands distracted him from his musings.

_I should really attend to them. To use magic, possibly. It can not go on forever._

But during a breakfast with General Dibango, Loki’s mood improved. General spoke English with a distinct accent which was not preventing Loki from understanding his words, though. The discussion of locals’ habits went smoothly, and a fresh wind from the gulf was a nice diversion from a yesterday heat. But then the discussion became more serious.

“Can I ask you a question?” Dibango said, drinking his coffee from the cup.

“What is it about?” Loki asked, pinning a slice of mutton on a fork. It was rather delicious, considering the circumstances.

“Your arrival was delayed for three days. My men had got to wait for you; they were starting to think that you will not fly in Douala at all. And now you’re here, seeming… as I shall say that… Injured. Is there any connection at all?”

“Oh, that.” Loki had stopped eating.

“Please forgive my persistence. I need to know in order to be ready to all things that may happen.”

“I was attacked in the Dutch airport on my way here. I’ve escaped, but I had to change the flights and the time of my arriving. And, as for your next question, yes, they can come up here, searching for me. It would be better not to tell anybody of my staying here.”

“Yes, I’ve understood. Don’t worry, they won’t find you here on the base. My men are reliable and fast.”


	4. Soldiers and creatures

On the following day, Loki joined his research team. By their words, they had already been granted a whole underground level of the building, and they were able to adjust it to their needs.

Loki went into the room where their equipment was installed. The space behind the glass wall was empty.

“Oh, hello, Mr. Laufeysson!” His assistant Xiao Li beamed as soon as she had noticed him. “We were awaiting you impatiently for carrying out yet another of our experiments. We’ll try to create _it_ once again.”

“Excellent.” Loki nodded. “But don’t you think that now you’d better start saying _him_?”

“Oh?” She faltered and then smiled. “Well, no problem. I think you should give him a name. To that first one, I mean.”

“I’ll try to invent something,” Loki answered and began to watch intently for a startup of the installation. It began uttering alert sounds and signaling about its readiness to work.

All the people in the room were watching closely as it went into action.

The installation finished its work soon, and Loki and Xiao Li moved forward a little, watching in astonishment as the creature behind the glass wall drew its first breath.

**

Loki had been visiting the medical unit of the military base repeatedly. His palms, despite his greatest efforts, were healing too slowly. Magic hadn’t helped him much, although there still was some progress.

A young medic girl, apparently the only one on the base, brought him an ointment and asked him to sit on the old chair under a bright lamp.

“Please, wait for a minute, sir. I’ll put new bandages.”

“Not a problem.”

Loki smiled to her, noticing her dark curly hair and plump lips. She was like a feline doll and she could possibly be seduced easily.

_No, I’ve been doing that too much already. I can’t._

**

Loki had been going around the base with a catlike grace, making soldiers of the general to shift uncomfortably in his presence. They seemed not to be able to ignore him when he was nearby, following Loki with their dark eyes attentively. Was it his skin, his manners, his aura of the power or something else, he didn’t know. Though, it wasn’t bothering him much.

It was strange that even Loki’s men created by him had not been able to produce such an effect on them. Though, they all were very tall, taller than any Cameroonian had been, with broad shoulders and muscular arms, with strength thrice of any of these military men. Their greatest supremacy over Midgardians never stopped to surprise him.

But Loki still had his doubts, remembering his last encounter with Thor.

_If it doesn’t help, then what will?_

He could not give himself an answer.

**

The night was hot and a thick air was suffocating, and an opened window in his room had not been helping much.

Loki had been on that military base for several weeks already, and it was beginning to become boring quickly, not mentioning the weather which could be rather harsh for an unaccustomed man. He could not even leave the base, even for a couple of hours, so for him, a life seemed rather uneventful.

Loki threw off the sheets, covering him, from the bed, leaving himself naked. The moon’s light was cold and bright; there was no even a slightest hint of a breathing of fresh air.

Loki closed his eyes; his hand slid down to his groin and found his penis. He began to stroke it slightly, and then his fingers touched its head and pressed their tips on it, causing pleasant sensations to spread further.

The heat in the room seemed to go even stronger. Sweat began forming on his face, and Loki licked his lips tasting the salt flavor. He was staring into the darkness not paying any attention to his surroundings.

Loki clasped his palm around the tip of the head of his cock and pressed it to a palm of another hand, beginning to rub the head against the palm.

Biting his lips, he drew a sudden breath sounding more like a plea and then he came with a weak cry.

Loki was staying still for a few minutes, breathing heavily and then he turned his head. His glance came upon doors and he noticed how a quick dark shadow slipped through doors away into darkness. After that, he had heard light footfalls moving away from the room.

_Those damned Midgardians. They haven’t got even the remotest conception about privacy. In Asgard, apart from guards, nobody would dare even to think to go near the chambers of a prince._

Loki gritted his teeth, contemplating slipping out after that man and killing him, possibly. Yet, he dismissed that idea quickly, finding it not being worth of following explanations of that all to General Dibango.

So he just closed his eyes again and went to sleeping.

**

Gusts of the west wind were strong, bringing some brief respite from unmerciful rays of the sun which had been almost in the zenith. There was an inspection of the base, appointed by the general, and all the soldiers of the base were standing on the cracked asphalt near the building, listening to their captain. There was also a group of soldiers standing slightly apart of them, taller than others.

Loki was standing aside General Dibango, watching soldiers intently. In order not to stand out too much, he had asked for providing him military clothes and now he was wearing a uniform of the color of khaki, without any insignia of rank, though.

“They are tough guys, aren’t they?” General asked, nodding in their direction. “The best ones in the region. Believe me, I know that.”

“I haven’t got any doubts.” Loki smiled to him, though his eyes were looking in the direction of the heads of his creatures.

The inspection had been taking longer than expected; Loki had been there for three hours already. But even that review was an event for him as there was apparently no other entertainment.

“Do you wish a cigar? They are Cuban ones, very expensive, but excellent.” General Dibango was looking at him again, holding a cigar in his hand whilst his officer came up to him and fired it up with a lighter helpfully.

“I’d be delighted.” Loki nodded. Sometimes, Midgardian customs were really entertaining.

The same officer opened a wooden box that he was holding all that time, and demonstrated Loki its contents, smiling pleasantly in the process and showing the perfectly white teeth. Loki selected one cigar, and lighted it with an officer’s help.

The smoke of the cigar smelt nicely, and its taste seemed rather exotic to Loki. He made an inhaling, blowing a smoke. A life seemed to him beautiful at that moment.

**

They were returning to the building after that; the inspection had been completed successfully, judging by the pleased face of General Dibango.

Suddenly, the officer, escorting them, took out his walkie-talkie, hanging on his belt, and began listening to it. His face became alarmed and he went up closer to General.

“There are unknown forces standing outside the gate of the base. There are a lot of them and their numbers continue to grow up.”

While General Dibango was going to answer him, sounds of an exchange of fire rang out. Dibango nodded to the officer and turned to Loki.

“They are here. Come into the building, we’ll be resisting their assault.” He said that in cold blood.

“Ok, sir.” Loki frowned and started walking to opened doors. People were running past him, and there was a real chaos in the square.

He came into the building and went to the elevator quickly in order to descend to the lower levels where his laboratory had been.

The skirmish became closer, and Loki pressed the button on the panel of the elevator, watching at the same time, as a tall figure in khaki appeared in the doors of an entrance hall.

The elevator went down; Loki came out of it, making its doors to stick in the process of closing and then he was running to his laboratory, crying to his soldiers to cover up its doors. He came up to the doors with soldiers and turned around.

He realized there was a back door near the elevator which was leading to the stairs. The soldier, standing aside him, ran to barricade it by Loki’s order.

They were standing in a narrow corridor now, listening to the skirmish as it was becoming closer to them again. Then somebody on the other side of the back door started to bang on it, apparently with something heavy. Those sounds were familiar to Loki too much.

He looked at his soldiers whom he created. They were looking at the door, not showing any fear. He saw their resolution only.

“When he comes in, attack him.” Loki said quietly.

“Yes, sir.” They lifted up their rifles.

The door yielded under bangs, and then it was thrown from its hinges with a crash. A tall figure of Thor blocked the frame, and soldiers started shooting on the sight.

Bullets went in his direction, not causing any damage though, as Thor swung and sent his hammer in the direction of the closest soldier. The man went down, but others were in his closer proximity already, trying to get Thor with their knives.

Loki looked at them, gritting teeth in despair, as Thor was killing them all with ease. Even a lightning sent by Loki in his direction, could not distract him.

Mjollnir started flying in the direction of Loki, but he had evaded it, jumping to the left. The hammer burst the door and returned to Thor while Loki slid in the laboratory.

When Thor had appeared in the broken doorframe, Loki was levitating in air, preparing to cast a spell. Loki’s hair was waving, all the room with his presence glowed, as his lips moved silently.

As he saw Thor, he lifted his hands quickly, targeting Mjollnir. Nevertheless, the fierce strike of the hammer didn’t miss him, causing the burst of Loki’s glowing shield. The room was plunged into a bright white light for a few minutes, and when it went to the usual degree of electric lighting, Loki had been lying on the floor; his brow was covered with blood.

**

Thor was dragging him along the corridors of the base. Numerous bodies of militaries lay on the floor, pools of blood from gunshot wounds made him to cringe in despair. There was nobody alive in closer vicinity.

As they went further, more signs of an assault could be noticed, from broken window glass to flipped furniture and bullet marks. The hall was destroyed, being in complete chaos.

In the square before the building, a commander of forces stood in the midst of his subordinates. Loki noticed that his uniform was the same as that one of the soldiers attacking him in the airport. Thor came up to him as the commander was giving out orders.

Thor had been placing Loki in front of him, locking his hand with the other around Loki’s neck. All Loki’s attempts of resisting failed, being effectively thwarted by Thor.

“The lab was destroyed; all the inhabitants of the base were disposed of.” The commander reported, having seen Thor.

Loki remembered all his colleagues and his assistant; his ire blazed up.

“Curse thee and all the kin of thine till the thirteenth tribe!” Loki’s shout caused the commander to recoil.

Thor put a palm of his hand on Loki’s mouth quickly, preventing him from further speaking. Loki had bit into it with all the strength of his hate, but then Thor’s grip on his neck made it unbearable to breathe.

Thor was throttling him, and Loki’s struggle ceased at last.

“Beware, my friend,” Thor said as he was going past the baffled commander, dragging Loki after him, “For the tongue of my brother could be poisonous.”

He stood up in the center of the square, holding Loki who was barely standing on his feet, and shouted, “Heimdall!”


	5. Asgard

An ambient light of stars and galaxies illuminated the Rainbow Bridge from above, and a whirlwind of colors made it nearly impossible to look at. Thor was walking along it slowly but steadily, not paying any attention to Loki, who was keeping pace with him.

Loki interrupted their mutual silence quickly, though. At that moment, he was high-strung and craved for vengeance.

“You know,” Loki drawled, glaring in the common direction of Thor, “I liked it better when you were a bodyguard. Such obedience, it was unbelievable, as I had always been aware of your eternal desire to dominate. And in the bed, you…”

Thor stopped abruptly, turning around to Loki. His face was stone cold, not betraying even a slight hint of emotion. He made a step towards Loki and struck him with an open palm.

Loki made a step backwards, losing his breath. The pain was excruciating. If Thor had hit him with a fist, he would have been lying on the ground already.

Thor was watching him, without turning an eyelash. Whilst Loki was glaring at him back in a silence, Thor waited a little and then he began to talk.

“Father had sent me into Midgard to seek after you. However, he could not reveal my presence in that world. Thus, he created a body for me, an avatar. I was placed into it; it was like floating deep under a surface of water.”

“You could not deceive me by it, though.” Loki spat at him. “I felt it was _you_ , from that first moment.”

“Yes, I could tell that. However, as I had already told you, I was feeling as if I was not _me_. I could do a little about it.”

“You could just not to kill anybody in your closer proximity!” Loki’s voice rose and an expression of his face became scary. “You’re a war machine, a hound unleashed. And I…”

Loki was choking with anger, and he tried to stop it, jerking the collar of his uniform.

Thor’s expression did not change.

“I was following the orders of All-Father. If you wished to express your displeasure, you could tell that to him, but I would advise against it.”

With these words, Thor turned around and went along the Bridge. At first, Loki had been staring at his back, not even trying to understand what he had just heard. Nevertheless, he followed Thor.

**

A throne room was empty; there was dusk in Asgard, and gold pillars were gradually lost in the darkness. Granite floors were shining softly in the lights of rare torches on the walls.

Loki went after Thor who came up to a man, sitting on the throne; a known sense of dread was arising in Loki’s chest.

At the high steps leading up to the gold throne, Thor stopped and bowed with respectfulness. Loki sank on one knee, looking stubbornly in the common direction of the throne and a lone figure holding a spear that was glowing gently in the darkness. Its soft radiance captured all Loki’s attention, and, for a minute, he felt as if there was nothing else in the world, apart from him and Gungnir.

Then Thor noticed that and, with a growl, he snatched Loki’s hair making him to incline his head low.

“I’ve returned, All-Father.” Thor’s voice was full of reverence.

“I see, my son. Now leave us.” The steely voice of Odin had not left him much space for arguing.

Having casting a glance at Loki and assuring that his brother was still bowing his head, Thor nodded to his father and left the room.

“So you were sent into exile in Midgard, and what had I seen? A gathering of troops.” Odin’s voice boded no good.

“I had been assembling my own guard, father, nothing more.”

“Silence!” Odin’s voice boomed, echoing through the vast spaces of the throne room. “Gathering forces in another world, without my express permission, – it’s a treason!”

Loki flinched.

After a long pause, Odin inclined to Loki, grabbing him by the chin and making Loki to look at him, straight into his eyes.

“What were you thinking?”

Loki did not answer. He tensed, trying not to feel Odin’s thumb caressing his lips.

Odin watched him intently, and then he straightened in his seat, freeing Loki from his grip.

“I thought you would be smarter than that, son of mine. Don’t even try to disappoint me once more.”

Loki nodded, feeling a great sense of relief, and he bowed his head even lower, whilst All-Father clapped his hands together and several guards came in the throne room hurriedly.

“My son has returned. Bring him in my chambers, and tell servants to attend to him after a long absence.”

Guards came up to Loki who had not moved yet, and made him to stand up. He followed them; the footfalls of the guards escorting him to Odin’s chambers and the sounds of his own Midgardian army boots knocking on the granite floor could be heard in the room only.

**

A part of the palace belonged to Odin was vast and immense, Loki always felt uncomfortable there. The columns and the large windows were truly majestic and their grandeur always made him to feel too small for his own liking.

The guards escorting him led him into the rooms, bowed to him and left the chambers. Loki had not seen any of them before, but it did not matter. Many great warriors from Valhalla were eager to serve All-Father, guarding his rooms all time of day and night.

He went into the common direction of baths, throwing off his clothes and kicking off his heavy boots at the same time. He found a marble coldness of bath floors rather pleasing to his soles.

Loki came up to wide marble steps leading to the large pool. Large vases covered in intricate painting stood in the corners, decorating the room wonderfully. On another side of room, a water stream flowed down from the ceiling and into the pool.

There were servants waiting for him already at the side. As soon as servants saw Loki, they scurried to him, holding bath towels, oil bottles, combs decorated with gems and other items.

He plunged in a hot water; bubbles of air were floating up from the depths of the pool. The water was illuminated somewhere from beneath, apparently with magic.

One servant touched his face in a gentle gesture and began to wash off blood and grime from it. The other one opened a bottle with some healing ointment whilst she was waiting for her turn.

“Where did you get those scars?” one of them asked, touching the palms of his hands and rubbing them with an ointment. The other one was tending to his neck where horrible bruises could be seen.

“None of your concern,” Loki hissed.

After that, servants stopped trying to make a conversation, being frightened apparently by their own audacity. They washed him, combed his hair carefully and massaged his back. Their skill at it was great, and Loki was nearly sleeping at the end.

Then they retreated hastily.

Loki stood up wearily and went out from the baths, discovering that his Midgardian clothes had already disappeared. There was a silk shirt and leather pants on an armchair standing near a large bed. Loki put them on, and then he tumbled into the bed and went to sleep immediately.

**

He awoke much later in the morning, servants drew the curtains on the windows aside and the morning light of Asgardian suns was nearly blinding. Loki covered his eyes with his hand, trying to find out what time of a day it was.

He slipped out of his bed and came up to heavy doors decorated with Nordic runes. Loki tried to open them, putting his palms on door wings with the intricate carving. When he discovered that they could not be opened, he tried his spells, without any success though. There was Odin’s ancient magic woven into the doors, making spell casting in this room impossible.

Loki swore and turned around looking for something to make him calm. He leant against the door, and breathed deeply for a few minutes.

He noticed high leather boots, lying beneath an armchair, and took them. Whilst he was putting them on, the doors opened and guards appeared on the other side of it.

Loki went past them with his head high. When he went into a long gallery leading to other parts of the palace, a pair of guards suddenly appeared out of nowhere, following him. Loki was getting slightly irritated by his escort, but still, he chose not to pay attention.

_Princes will always stay princes. Even if they returned from an exile._

He went to his part of the palace with his own chambers, noticing familiar doors leading to his Asgard lab, and he came up to them. They were closed and sealed.

Loki bit his lip and turned around to his guards.

“Why can’t I enter?”

After a long pause, a taller guard brought himself to speak.

“All-Father forbade all from entering there, my prince. I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything about it.”

Loki stared at him for a few moments, not being able to believe what he had just heard, and then he gritted his teeth and went back, intending to return to his father’s chambers. He could not make himself to appear at the court, not yet.

**

He had been sleeping in the chambers until the evening; when light of Asgardian suns grew dark, he awoke. A slight wind blew from windows, and a coolness of a forthcoming night was noticeable already.

Loki felt the presence of the other in the room as he was throwing out his sheets and stretching himself on the bed.

Then, he saw Odin sitting in the armchair near an opened window. A great black crow was perched on Odin’s extended arm; its eyes were burning red like hot coal. Noticing Loki’s attention, it shifted from one foot to the other, ruffling up and making itself even more menacing.

Loki sat in the bed.

“Father.”

Odin held up his arm, and the crow flew up, landing on the windowsill. Its baleful eyes were watching Loki intently.

“Come here.”

Loki came up to Odin, bending to him closer. He took Loki by the neck and kissed. His strong arms pressed on Loki’s shoulders,making him to sit on the floor in front of him. Odin’s palm caressed the back of Loki’s neck, and then he pushed him in the direction of his groin.

Loki put his palms on Odin’s hips, feeling solid muscles, hard as stone under his fingers. He squeezed them a little. Odin’s palm was drawing him up closer, and Loki signed and cuddled up to him.

Odin’s fingers touched marks of bruises still visible slightly on Loki’s neck.

“Was Thor hard on you?”

“I’ve got much to tell him yet.” Loki’s voice was full of sudden ire.

“I don’t doubt that.”

_Of course. At first, you use him, and then you are trying to soothe me. A master of manipulations, that is what you are._

Loki bit his lip and tried to stand up, without any success though. Odin’s brows knit and his look became hard as All-Father noticed Loki’s sudden change of demeanor.

“I love you, son of mine. However, if you think you can defy orders of your king, you are wrong.”

The grip of Odin on his neck became tight suddenly.

“I thought your exile taught you better than that.”

“I’m sorry.” Loki said, after a pause. “I just don’t like him much. Never did.”

“I know. Still, we are here not to talk about Thor, aren’t we? So, go ahead, and do what you’re here for.”

Loki inclined to him again and put his palm on the groin of Odin. His penis was already visible clearly under a fabric of his pants, and Loki tugged the pants, freeing it.

The penis of Odin was huge, even in its half-erected form. Loki pressed his lips to its head, and blew on it, making Odin shiver. Then Loki took it in his mouth and began to suck it skillfully. He tried to swallow an entire length of the penis, though it was not an easy task. Nevertheless, it was more than enough for Odin, whose grip on his hair became unmerciful, and he began to fuck the mouth of Loki, his motions were quick and hard.

Loki felt sudden contractions in his throat, and then Odin pulled his penis from his mouth, a thin thread of sperm stretched from a tip of its head to Loki’s lips.

The penis of Odin was hard still; he roused Loki from his knees, holding him in his arms tightly as if the weight of Loki was nothing for him. He lowered Loki on his penis slowly and continued to fuck him hard and fast. Loki had to cling to Odin, holding him by the shoulders and trying to escape his merciless attack; his penis was nearly impaling Loki. He bit his lips trying not to cry from pain and intense delight, having coming somewhere in the process.

Loki put his legs around the waist of Odin whilst All-Father also came, yet again, but Loki had not noticed it in the throes of his own orgasm.

After a pause, All-Father lifted him carefully, pulling out his penis, erected yet, and then he lowered Loki on linen sheets and furs, scattered on the bed.

“We’ve got a whole night left for both of us, still.”


	6. Deal

Odin was sitting on the bed amidst sheets scattered and rumpled; his hand was stroking Loki’s head, ruffling his hair. A younger Asgardian was lying on Odin’s thighs, unmoving.

Loki was feeling weak and disoriented; the night they spent together exhausted him. Odin took him several more times, until the very moment Loki could not come yet again and his body experienced a dry orgasm.

“Do you wish to continue?” Odin asked him.

“No.” Loki stretched on the furs wearily, licking his dry lips.

Odin stood up and went to a low table where a horn had been lain, carved from teeth of some alien beast and set into gold. There was also a crystal decanter for red wine there. Odin poured out the horn of wine and then he sat on the bed, holding Loki’s head carefully, and brought it to Loki’s lips.

“Drink.”

Loki drank all the wine in it, gulping greedily.

Then he went to sleep.

**

There was a fresh wind blowing from the balcony, bright rays of suns disturbed Loki’s sleep. Asgard was awakening.

Loki’s eyes focused on his surroundings, and he noticed Gungnir, standing near their bed and shining brightly in the rays of Asgardian suns.

Loki looked at it wistfully. He never knew what made him to speak.

“May I have it?”

“Yes, you may.”

The eyes of Loki widened, and he casted a quick glance at Odin, who was evidently amused by his surprise.

Loki looked at Gungnir again. He inclined in its direction and carefully took the spear in his hands. Magic of Gungnir was singing, making blood in Loki’s veins to run faster. He felt as if he was someone else, someone who could create and destroy worlds, all that in the same time.

Loki did not know how long he had been sitting on the white linen sheets and furs scattered on the bed with Gungnir in his hands. However, when, at one moment, he diverted his attention away from it and looked at Odin, he saw that All-Father was sleeping. His chest went up and down rhythmically, his long beard on the top of it; his body that every Midgardian bodybuilder would envy was lying on the sheets peacefully.

Loki stood up slowly. He dressed himself quickly, trying not to make a noise, and then he took Gungnir in his hands and went to the doors, not turning back.

The doors opened, he went through them without any commotion, but a pair of guards unknown to him glanced at each other and followed him along the corridors.

Loki looked back at his escort once but he did not react to them, continuing to go far into the palace. He stopped only when he went through an entrance to a wide balcony encircling it.

The wind became stronger, but there were no signs of a rough weather nearing, and gardens at the palace were green and peaceful.

Loki put the spear on the ground and leaned on it, whispering something that could not be heard by others.

A guard closest to him made a step forward.

“What are you doing, my prince? Are you unwell?”

“Go away!” Loki growled, beginning to cast a spell. A portal glowing in a ghostly blue-white light appeared on the balcony suddenly.

Guards, apparently having understanding what that all meant, rushed forward, but they were not able to stop Loki whilst he suddenly jumped backwards and went into the portal.

**

Green trees, flowerbeds full of tulips, and the nice spring weather met him in the streets of Amsterdam. Many canals were in this part of the city, narrow streets left little space for cars, and there were bicycles parked on the bridges crossing the canals.

Loki put an illusion on himself making him to look as if he was wearing worn jeans and a tee shirt. His leather pants and a silk shirt would seem too strange here, too archaic. Gungnir was just a cane in his hand now.

He went along streets looking for the shortest way to his local apartments, at the same time trying to calculate a further plan of his actions.

He had not been staying at his apartments for long, only for a time it took him to change clothes and to pick up a credit card. After that, Loki bought a cell phone and a new SIM card in the nearest Vodafone office.

**

He was sitting in a small coffee shop again, drinking coffee from a steaming cup. After several long gulps, Loki took out his phone, entering a long sequence of digits.

“Hello.” A voice of man greeted him.

“Hi, it’s Mr. Laufeysson. I’d like to speak to you, in private, if it’s possible.”

“Oh… Wait, is it really you?” The man’s voice on the phone changed drastically, now he sounded worried.

“Mr. Laufeysson, it can’t be. We thought that you were dead…”

“I am not. And as I have said already, I’d like to speak to you.”

“But…”

“Not on the phone, please.” Loki said. Then, he told the man his current whereabouts and ended his call.

After a half of an hour, glass doors of the coffee shop, where Loki had been sitting, opened and a middle age man wearing a gray-checkered suit with a black tie came in. He was tall and rather handsome, with dark short beard and moustache. As he was sitting down, Loki noticed that his watches were very expensive.

“Hello again, Mr. Agosto. I’m Loki Laufeysson,” Loki said, shaking him by the hand. “Glad to see you, we’ve never met before, face to face, I mean.”

“Hello. It’s sad that our meeting happens in such circumstances.”

“Yes, it is.”

“But how is it possible that you’re alive? We’ve got reports; there was a real massacre there.” A man asked, not paying any attention to a waiter heading already for their table.

Loki held up his hand, silencing him. As the waiter got an order and left them, Loki answered him.

“They killed all those who were at the base, taking me as…” Loki made a short pause, thinking, and then continued quickly, trying not to give out himself by the delay, “…as a hostage. I was lucky to escape them later, though.”

“Who was it?” Agosto frowned.

“The militaries, you mean that? No, I do not know. I’d like you to find that out.” Loki said.

“And their principal?”

Loki sighed. “You would not want to know that, believe me.”

“But still?” Agosto insisted upon an answer.

“I know him, yes. However, I cannot tell you who it is, as it is a powerful person really. And that’s why I needed to talk to you.”

Loki paused and leant back on a back of his chair, crossing his arms.

“I don’t wish to work on that project anymore. Too dangerous. You can continue it, though, if you wish. I’ve got an impression that there won’t be such an attention to it, without me in an equation.”

“But you cannot leave that all!” Agosto was clearly agitated by news.

“I can. And I shall.”

“But who is it? Maybe, we could negotiate with him.”

“Believe me, you would not be able to.” Loki said wearily. Words of Odin were still vivid in his memory.

Agosto frowned, but he did not dare to insist upon that further.

“Remember, I would really appreciate that if you were able to find out more about those military men, their nationality, their employer, etc.” Loki said.

“I’ll try. It’s a pity you can’t tell me more.”

“As I have said already…”

“Yes, I’ve heard that. Anyways, call me in a week.”

“Ok.”

They said bye to each other, and Agosto went away.

**

Loki stayed alone, gulping the rest of his coffee, sitting at the table and listening for street noise and bits of other people’s conversations. He looked at his spear, standing unnoticed by anyone in the corner of the room near his table.

 _Gungnir… It’s an ideal weapon, and it’s at my disposal. I cannot believe… However, I cannot also stop to envy_ him _who had been able to create it… For I would never be able to._

Loki glanced at the glass doors of the coffee shop absent-mindedly. They opened, and a tall muscular man with a blond hair and bright blue eyes came in. Loki looked at him in the shock, as he recognized Thor in him.

Thor was wearing casual jeans and a dark cotton shirt with an undershirt, visible under it slightly. He came up to Loki’s table and sat at it just as if nothing had happened.

Loki stiffened and put a palm of his hand on Gungnir whilst Thor was discussing his order with the waiter quietly. Then he left them and now Loki had Thor’s attention back.

They were looking at each other for some time. Loki was first to interrupt the silence.

“How did you find me here?”

“Heimdall.” Thor answered briefly.

“So, he had decided to serve you, after all?”

“Yes.”

Loki gritted his teeth.

“And why is that, may I inquire? Did you threaten him?”

“I need not to. And, Loki, don’t change the subject.” Thor said, beginning to frown. “I came here to return you.”

“I won’t.” Loki said slowly, but steadily. “I’ve got no desire to be sitting under house arrest in Asgard.”

“Father said…”

“I won’t!” Loki raised his voice, making guests of coffee shop to look at them reproachfully.

“You will.” Thor’s look became threatening. “Father went into Odinsleep, and his last words were that I have to bring you back in Asgard.”

Loki was so amazed that he could not say anything.

“So, you’ll come with me.” Thor continued.

“Into Odinsleep? But don’t you think it changes everything?” Loki said at last.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a ruler of Asgard now, at least till the time Father awakes. Why did you lose your time here in Midgard, when you should be there, reigning in Asgard?” Loki tried to make his voice to sound more persuasive.

Thor shook his head, putting his hand on Loki’s one and squeezing his wrist.

“No. I have got to bring you with me, and that’s not a subject of discussion.”

“Do you wish to order something else?” The waiter materialized at their table.

“No.” Thor said grudgingly.

“Ok, I’ll be out there, you know, if you want something…” The waiter was saying that all hastily, moving away from their table.

“What’s the matter with him?” Thor asked being at a loss when the waiter left them.

“He thought that you were my boyfriend, of course.” Loki said contemptuously, “As you’re holding my hand. By the way, do not crush it so, you will break my wrist.”

And, when Thor hadn’t reacted, Loki hissed, “Leave me.”

“No, Loki.” Thor shook his head again. “I know only too well how good you are in invisibility charms. You ran from me that day in an airport and I’d got no desire to seek after you in all Midgard.”

“Ok.” Loki said after a pause. “But you have to promise me that you won’t put me under an arrest there. You do understand that it is pointless.”

“I promise. Now get up.” Apparently, Thor was not going to wait any longer.

Loki nodded grudgingly, standing up and putting Gungnir up on his shoulder.

They paid for their orders and left the coffee shop, going out into spring streets of Amsterdam. The sun was shining brightly, and the light wind made its rays more bearable.

Loki stopped in one narrow street, without any people in closer proximity, and said, looking at the water lapping under the bridge, “Call Heimdall. And won’t you try to stop me when I want to tell all that I think about him.”

Thor nodded and lifted his hand with Mjollnir, suddenly appearing in it. A strong wind began to blow in the streets suddenly, agitating waters underneath. A column of light appeared and princes of Asgard went up into the skies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vodaphone is a known Dutch mobile operator.


	7. Conflict of interests

There was a dusk already when Thor and Loki appeared on the Rainbow Bridge. A light of Asgardian suns was beginning to bleak, but a whirlpool of colors was visible clearly under their feet.

Heimdall was standing in the central section of his house, having putting his hands on his sword and not even blinking. Loki came up to him quickly, leaving Thor behind.

“So you serve _him_ now?” Loki’s voice sounded threateningly.

Thor caught up with Loki in a couple of steps and grabbed him by his shoulder.

“Loki, don’t.”

Loki continued, not paying any attention to Thor’s hand lying on his shoulder, “You have sworn an oath to me. Do you want to tell me now it is not worth anything?”

Heimdall leant on his sword, answering him coldly and solemnly, “I serve the ruler of Asgard only. And it has always been so.”

“So you’ve told Odin about me…” Loki nodded. “Well, don’t hope that I shall forget that.”

With these words, he turned around and went along the bridge. Thor followed Loki, not trying to say anything to him.

**

When they entered the palace, guards, having seen Thor, saluted to him. Thor accepted their honors with dignity, and then he and Loki went into the common direction of Odin’s chambers.

“Where is he?” Loki asked, after a long silence.

“In the central area.” Thor answered, frowning. “He has been sleeping for two days already. Our healers say it can last for years…”

Loki did not reply him and went ahead, his eyes shadowed and his lips drawn.

They came up to high doors decorated with runes made from gold, and guards opened heavy wings of the doors slowly and not without difficulty.

Inside, they saw a great bed, upon which Odin lay; a golden glow was shining above his motionless body. Thor came up to him closer and stopped there in silence.

Loki followed him, looking at Odin, his expression was unreadable and he said nothing, not even a word.

Thor turned to him and frowned, noticing Loki’s face. Loki glanced at him and then he turned around and went out of the chambers.

Thor rushed after him and past guards. Loki was in a distant part of the corridors already, retreating from him hastily.

“You… Stop! Stop, I’m telling you!” Thor yelled in rage. He closed the distance between them and grabbed Loki by his shoulder, turning him around.

“Stop, Loki!” Thor’s grip was steely. “You're a prince of Asgard, the second in chain, and I command you!”

These words provoked Loki’s ire only; he bared his teeth, jumping backwards, and then, in the next moment, he was swinging, having hitting Thor in his abdomen with Gungnir. Thor bent, being in pain, so he could not evade another blow of Gungnir colliding with his head.

Thor sank on the floor. Loki had been staring at him in ire for a few moments, and then he turned around and went away in the long corridors of the palace, past shocked guards who parted to let him pass.

**

The doors of his own chambers were still closed but all Odin’s attempts to deny him access to the chambers became futile now. Loki held up Gungnir, and the doors of steel that were sealed so firm, he burst with a single spell.

Loki was fuming with anger, and he could do nothing to extinguish it. His feet led him to the most distant part of his chambers. There were baths there, and Loki dropped Gungnir, kneeling beside a pool of murmuring transparent water; he began to splash it in his face, trying to calm himself.

He heard sounds of somebody running into the chambers; heavy boots banged on the floor, but he had no time to stand up. Thor rushed into the baths and closed a distance between them in one moment.

Thor’s red face was contorted with rage. He hit Loki in a jaw, and Loki flied away from him, falling on a marble floor.

Spitting blood, Loki stood up and casted a spell. An invisible force hit Thor,having dragging him alongside the pool. Seeing that, Loki bared teeth and jumped on him. They engaged each other, rolling on the floor and exchanging blows.

Finally, Thor freed himself from Loki’s grasp, grabbed him by hair and hit Loki’s head against the floor. When Loki’s struggles ceased to be, Thor leant all his weight upon Loki and twisted his arm behind his back, immobilizing him effectively.

“Yield!” Thor growled. “Yield, you thrice-cursed son of a bitch!”

After futile attempts of struggle, Loki stopped, answering him, “I yield.”

Thor did not attempt freeing Loki from his grasp, though. They had been lying on the marble for some time, panting heavily.

Loki felt Thor’s member came alive, setting against his ass. He gritted his teeth.

“Leave me.”

Thor did not answer him, having freeing his arm though. Thor’s hand slid between Loki’s legs, groping him. Loki tried to free himself, but Thor prevented it by closing his palm around Loki’s balls, holding him down. He began to rub himself against Loki’s ass, and after several long moments, Thor came, ceasing any further movements.

After that, Thor stood up slowly, reeling, wiping blood from his face. Loki turned over and sat on the floor, noticing a wet spot on Thor’s jeans.

Thor spat blood on the floor and left the baths, having said nothing to Loki.

**

In the morning, the skies were rather gray and threatening clouds showed up on the horizon. Apart from that, nothing could darken Loki’s mood.

He used Gungnir in order to heal himself earlier in the morning, and the magic of it was so great that it healed all his wounds, leaving no marks at all. After that, he was taking a bath for a long time, letting himself to relax at last.

Loki entered a throne room, discovering that there was a session there. He saw Aesir who were standing in a crowd in front of the throne. Gloomy Thor sprawled on it, listening to one of them, a tall Asgardian who apparently wanted something. He was speaking in a respectful tone, telling Thor his story, humbly asking him to agree to his petition.

Loki noticed that Thor left Mjollnir standing beside the throne, and bright blue flashes of small lightings were running along its head repeatedly.

Loki came near the throne and stopped in front of it, bowing, whilst guards stiffened, noticing him. Thor responded to that, giving him a curt nod. He was not looking at Loki, listening to his petitioner, and his expression did not bode anything good. To whom though, Loki could not guess yet.

Loki went the throne around and ascended the steps, stopping behind the back of the throne. He leant on it and inclined to Thor’s ear, whispering to him so that others were not able to hear his words.

“Hello, _big brother_. How was the night? It seems your scars are not healed fully yet, or am I mistaken?”

Thor’s brows knitted, but he had not time to say something, whilst Loki continued whispering right in his ear, sneering, “What a pity.”

Loki tried to make his voice sounding sultrier, “But still… Maybe, you do wish me to satisfy your desire?”

Thor gritted his teeth and rose his hand, making his petitioner to stop the speech. He looked right into Loki’s eyes, answering him in a low voice, “I do.”

Loki nodded and bowed again. Then he said, “May I go?”

“Yes. I shall call for you later. No disappearances that time or you’ll regret that thoroughly when I find you.”

Loki nodded again and came out of the throne room.

**

Loki sat on the bench hidden in one of the most beautiful parts of Asgard gardens and listened for murmuring of water flowing in the stream nearby. Gungnir lay on his lap and Loki played with its magical powers tuning them to himself. He invented a dozen of new spells being rather pleased with this fact.

The first sun began to set, and suddenly an Asgardian unknown to Loki appeared on the other side of stream. He bowed to Loki.

“My prince, I have come to let you know that prince Thor wishes to see you in his chambers.”

“Tell him I’ll be shortly.” Loki said.

The Asgardian bowed to him again and then he disappeared behind green flowering trees.

Loki stood up from his bench with reluctance and went in the direction of the palace that was visible on the horizon.

_Time to teach Thor a lesson._

**

Thor sat in a large armchair, padded with leather of Jotunheimr snow dragon. It stood in front of a burning fireplace.

Thor looked with displeasure at Loki’s spear that Loki was carrying on his shoulder.

“Why had Father even allowed you to have it? It should not belong to you.” Thor said with disdain.

“Oh, but he had. You are always welcome to question his motives, though.” Loki looked for a place to sit and then, not having found an armchair, sat on Thor’s bed instead.

“That I am.” Thor fell silent for a few minutes and then said, “So, what? Are you going to ask my forgiveness or not?”

“Why should I?” Loki only shrugged.

“Why?” Thor was becoming angry again. “You have attacked your superior, in front of guards. And do you think it is nothing at all?”

“I was still mad.” Loki said. “At you. I would not suggest you to try commanding me.”

“But I am your superior!”

“It’s your problem exactly.” Loki stood up and approached Thor’s chair, putting his hands on its armrests and inclining to Thor. “You never pay attention to the feelings of others.”

Thor was looking at him for some time and then he put his hands on Loki’s ones, covering them.

“If that was somebody else, I would order to kill him.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Loki said coldly, trying to move away from Thor.

Thor prevented him from it, having held Loki by his hands.

“Wait.”

“I do not wish to.” Loki ground out the words.

Thor put his hand on Loki’s neck, drew Loki to himself and kissed him. His tongue slid into Loki’s mouth, making Loki to stiffen.

Loki allowed Thor to kiss him for some time, and then Loki broke the kiss, saying, “It had to be my initiative, you know.”

“I don’t care.”

“You’re always like that.” Loki stood up. “Anyways, I don’t like kisses that much, let’s go to the bed instead.”

Thor stood up and lifted Loki on his arms, heading for the bed, and they fell onto it, beginning to remove their clothes. Thor slid his hands under Loki’s shirt, finding fasteners in process and ripping them up. Loki went sprawling on the bed in pleasure, feeling Thor’s hands upon his chest, caressing him.

He felt Thor’s cock sliding into him and tried to relax. Not without difficulty though, as Thor began to move inside him at once.

“You’re too impatient, brother,” Loki said, biting Thor’s shoulder in return.

Thor grunted, but he did not deem that enough to say something. He continued to thrust into Loki, his thighs were strained, his cock and stomach were hard like stone.

Loki could not stop him even all his life depended on it. So instead of it, he rose on his elbows and tried to lick Thor’s neck, biting his skin in process.

“Don’t use your petty tricks on me, brother”, Thor growled, coming and falling on Loki sprawled on the linen sheets. “You’ve come here not to play with me.”

Then Thor’s palm found Loki’s cock in between their bodies, “I’ll be fucking you until you beg me to stop.”

He began to caress Loki’s penis, his movements were precise and Loki felt his own orgasm nearingvery soon. He came all over his stomach, and Thor licked it clean.

Thor turned him around, making Loki to lie on his abdomen, and then Thor began to thrust into him again. That time, Loki came from the very feeling of his cock rubbing against the rough cloth of the sheets.

Thor’s orgasm lasted longer that time and Loki felt his spasms inside him, whilst Loki played with the tip of his own cock in post-coital bliss.

They fell asleep quickly after that.


	8. In the Ring

Loki had been sitting on wolf pelts near a fireplace, reading yellow ragged parchments which servants had brought him from his library, when a tall Asgardian slid into his rooms, having making not a sound in process.

Loki glanced at him and continued reading.

“Greetings to you, my prince.” Asgardian bowed to Loki. “They say you need me.”

“Greetings to you, Bjorn.” Loki laid his parchments aside on the pelts carefully, standing up slowly and squaring his shoulders. “They say you are the best spy in all the Nine Worlds.”

“It’s true, my prince.” Bjorn looked impassively at him, and his face was entirely devoid of expression.

“So, have you been to Midgard recently?”

“Yes, my prince. I have been to numerous countries in that world, and I know how to look and act like local.”

“Excellent.” Loki came up to the fireplace. “I need you to meet one man in Amsterdam, in Netherlands, it’s a small country in that place of Midgard they call _Europe_.”

Loki looked to the center of the room; his fingers were moving. A mist started forming there, looking distinctly like a shape of a man. After several long moments, Loki and Bjorn saw a 3-dimensional copy of the Midgardian whom Loki knew as Agosto.

Loki clicked his fingers, turning to Bjorn.

“Do you see him? His name is Niccolò Agosto, and officially, he is working for some military company in their department of intelligence, for now. Unofficially, he works for AISE, an Italian intelligence agency, and he has an access to secret databases all over the world.”

Loki stopped his speech suddenly and then continued, “We had got a rendezvous assigned, it had to happen a week ago, but I thought it would be better if you met him and got papers he had prepared for me.”

“Yes, my prince.” Bjorn nodded. “I’ll be there in no time.”

Loki handed him a piece of parchment with lines scribbled down in Norse runes. “It is an address of the meeting, he often visits that place.”

Bjorn took it silently and disappeared from the room.

Loki fell on the wolf pelts again; he conjured a pair of pillows with a snap of his fingers, leaning his elbows on them. He was preparing to wait, playing with a black onyx ring on his finger absent-mindedly.

**

It was an evening already, when Bjorn showed up again in Loki’s chambers. He gave Loki a simple file folder with papers.

“How did it go?” Loki asked, looking over through contents of the folder quickly. “Did he suspect anything?”

“No, my prince,” Bjorn’s grin was a condescending one. “I wore clothes that locals are used to, and I spoke All-tongue. He thought I was speaking in Italian to him.”

“Well, what did he tell you?”

“He was able to find out a lot about the military organization which you asked him about. They call it S.H.I.E.L.D in Midgard. There are names, faces, addresses in those papers. But he said that he had questions now which he would like to ask you…”

“What questions are those?” Loki frowned.

“About one tall man looking like a Scandinavian who killed a lot of soldiers on that Cameroonian base, I presume. And about another one, who was in charge of that operation.”

“I can imagine.” Loki said curtly, coming up to the fireplace. He took a purse made from the softest suede, which lay on a mantelpiece, and looked into it, counting gold coins in it quickly, whilst he was lacing the purse. Then Loki tossed the purse to the spy.

“You have done your work perfectly. But don’t you dare to tell anybody about it,” Loki made a pause and his voice became threatening, “Because if you do…”

“My prince, you are wounding my feelings.” Bjorn caught the purse and bowed. “I would not receive my title of the best spy in all the Nine Worlds if I revealed anything about my clients.”

“I am delighted to hear that.” Loki said. “Now, leave.”

Bjorn went out of the chambers.

Loki sat back on the wolf pelts, opening the file folder. He was going to study the documents thoroughly.

Loki was turning the page over, when, suddenly, his attention was drawn to one photo on the top of a page where a soldier smiled widely into the lens.

Loki gritted his teeth, trying to subdue his ire.

_It’s him._

Loki read the documents carefully, trying to memorize everything, when he noticed another photo of a dark-skinned man unknown to him. He had only one eye; a black leather band covered the other one, so he was looking exactly like a Midgardian pirate. The photo was accompanied with several words only: “Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

There was no additional information.

**

After an hour of studying the papers, Loki stood up gracefully and came up to the fireplace again. He tossed the papers into fire, watching them intently as they were burning brightly in the flames.

Then Loki turned around and went out of his chambers.

_I need to make a plan. Quickly._

Loki was going along the corridors of the palace, when a servant caught up with him.

“My prince,” The servant was panting as if he had been running along the corridors for some time. “Prince Thor wishes to see you.”

Loki stopped abruptly, turning around to the servant, “Where is Thor?”

“In the common baths, my prince.”

“Is he alone there?” Loki was frowning already.

“Prince Thor is accompanied to baths with his trusted warriors and subordinates.”

“Don’t tell me they are going to celebrate something.” With these words, Loki spun around on his heels and continued his walking, listening to the servant no more.

“But prince Thor…”

The servant was trying to add something else, when Loki interrupted him, turning to him in irritation.

“Tell Thor I’ll come.”

**

From the rooms where common baths were, bursts of laugh and loud cries of joy could be heard. Loki came up closer to them and he saw many Asgardian warriorsthrough the open doors, a lot of them were drunk already. Some of them were only wearing pants made from bull leather, whilst others were naked completely. Servants scurried among the warriors, treating them to drinking horns of mead.

Some of half-naked men were also covered in oil from head to toe, and servants helped to cover warriors with it, pouring oil out from pitchers on their bodies.

Couples of men wrestled already in a self-improvised ring near pools whilst spectators stood around them in a circle, crying loudly and cheering them up. They drank mead in the process, demanding for more. Several judges ran around the wrestlers and cried in loud voices, announcing winners. The noise from the crowd was incredible.

When Loki came up to the ring, one man overpowered his adversary at last, and the crowd uttered a roar.

Loki sniffed scornfully. He was still looking for Thor until he noticed his brother sitting on a large marble bench near the pool. Thor drank mead from a horn, watching for a fight intently.

Loki casted a glance at his broad shoulders and muscles of abdomen glistening from oil and at his legs in tight fitting leather pants, and then he averted his gaze quickly. However, Thor saw him already.

“Come here, Loki.” He cried aloud, his vigorous voice could be heard easily in the crowd’s noise.

Thor rose from the bench a little, having made Loki to sit beside him, hugging him, throwing his own arm around Loki’s shoulder. Loki’s head fell on Thor’s chest and the aroma of heated oil made his head to spin a little.

“Someone, bring mead to my brother!” Thor yelled.

In a moment, Loki discovered himself half-laying on Thor’s chest, with a drinking horn of mead, filled to the very brim, in his hand.

“Drink.” Thor said in an imperious tone, raising his own hand with the horn.

Loki tried to retort, but then he just brought his own horn to the lips and tasted the mead. It was delicious and Loki’s head only spun more.

They were drinking mead, not saying anything to each other, until Thor threw off the empty horn and asked, “Do you wish to wrestle with me, brother?”

Loki’s eyes widened. “What? No!”

However, Thor was already yelling at servants to bring the leather pants for the younger prince, and despite Loki’s protests, the servants tore off clothes from him and got him up in the heavy thick pants.

Loki felt that his cheeks were burning with shame as warriors saw his ass and his cock in the process of getting his pants up and began to shout something indecent. One servant raised a pitcher above him, pouring oil on his head and neck, making Loki to screw up his eyes and causing warriors around Loki to laugh even more.

Thor stood up from the bench and growled at them, making them to shut up. After that, he began rubbing Loki with oil. Loki felt Thor’s hands all over his back and chest, his strong fingers were sliding along his skin, pressing on his muscles, making Loki to squirm. Loki leant on Thor’s shoulders as Thor squatted down beside him, pouring oil on his hands.

Loki found himself beginning to arouse a little, but he did not have a chance to revel in that sensation as Thor finished his preparations and stood up, clapping him on the back.

“Go in the ring,” Thor said. The tone of his voice was peremptory, leaving Loki too dumbfounded to retort.  

Loki made several uncertain steps in the ring with Thor going right after him.

They took their places and the crowd roared yet again.

Loki looked straight into Thor’s eyes. Thor was grinning as if he was inviting Loki to test his limits.

They began to go round the ring, looking intently in eyes. Then Loki bared his teeth and jumped at Thor.

Thor brought him down almost at once, and they fell on the marble floor trying to seize each other. Their oiled skin made that task nearly impossible for them both and so Thor and Loki spent a lot of time on the marble, trying to gain upper hand.

Thor was too strong, though, and he turned out on top eventually, thwarting Loki’s attempts to catch him by hair and holding down Loki by the belt of his pants.

“You’re fighting dirty, brother.” Thor breathed out, attempting to shove his fingers down a leather belt and prevent Loki from sliding out from his hands.

Loki hissed something unintelligible and bent in Thor’s arms, feeling as Thor’s palm slid further down, touching his ass. Thor held him tightly, the friction of heavy material against the sensitive skin of Loki’s cock and the pressure of Thor’s palm made Loki’s sensations nearly impossible to bear.

Thor had to be feeling the change of Loki’s attitude as he chose that moment for standing up and managing to put his bare foot on his brother’s back.

Immediately, the judge, who had been watching them fighting, shouted to Thor, “Win!”

The crowd’s exultation at the sight of his brother’s victory became predominant.

Loki felt that Thor squeezed his ass, then tips of Thor’s fingers brushed against his anus as Thor was pulling his hand out of Loki’s pants. That had been enough for Loki to come, however, fortunately for him, a thick leather cloth made it impossible for anybody to notice that.

Loki breathed a curse through clenched teeth and tried to stand up, feeling that his legs were letting him down. However, strong Thor’s arms were steading him already, and servants were running to them, offering horns of mead, full to brim, yet again.

Loki settled down on the bench beside Thor and brought the horn to his lips, hoping that would help him to relax. Meanwhile, the crowd’s focus shifted to another pair of warriors struggling on the glistening marble.

Thor drew him to his chest again, but Loki was already too drunk for trying to pay any attention to that. Loki was sipping mead from his horn, looking straight ahead. He felt Thor’s fingers caressing him, combing out his hair.

He remembered the rest vaguely, apart from the fact that Thor was leading him to his chambers when the wrestling had ended, supporting him, as Loki was not able to hold himself upright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Oil wrestling_ – There are really such sports in Turkey. You may google it or search for it on Tumblr if you want. This sport is for men only and it reminds of usual wrestling, apart from a rule that a wrestler must wear leather pants. He also has to be covered in oil in order to being able to break loose and to fight with ease.


	9. Vengeance

In the morning, Loki wakened in his own chambers with a horrible feeling that his head was going to split. His headache was so strong that he could hardly see anything.

He discovered the breakfast on the table that servants brought in his rooms whilst he had been sleeping, but Loki was interested only in a pitcher of water, which he drank from with great appreciation.

_Thor’s feasts always end like that._

He had found a potion in one of numerous drawers, drinking it in one long gulp. It helped him right away, and finally, Loki was able to feel as if last night had not even happened.

Still, he remembered all events of that night so clearly that it caused him pain.

_Thor is always like that. Big fool. And he never listens to me._

Loki sat there for a long time, hiding his face in his palms, and then he stood up and put on his armor. A slight rustle from the direction of the doors made him to turn around. A servant, whose face he did not recognize, entered the room cautiously, bringing a pile of dazzling white folded towels with him.

“Where is Thor?” Loki asked.

“Prince Thor is away from Asgard,” The servant answered, “He went in Svartalfheim with his suite for a hunting. He had just left the palace.”

“Oh, I see.” Loki said. “Well, leave your towels in the baths and you may go.”

The servant bowed to him and left.

Loki came up to a rack where Gungnir had been placed. It was shining brightly in rays of the Asgardian suns. Loki took it from the rack, lifting it up in his hand, as if weighing it, whilst his mind was million miles away from Asgard.

After several short moments of hesitation, Loki put Gungnir on his shoulder and went out of his chambers.

He chose the shortest way possible to the Heimdall post on the Rainbow Bridge.

**

Heimdall stood unmoving on a gold pedestal in the center of the sphere from which all nine worlds could be seen. His eyes were closed; strange golden irises were hidden under heavy dark lids.

Loki came up to the pedestal with long strides, stopping right before Heimdall.

“I wish you to send me from Asgard at once. Initialize the Bridge starting.”

Heimdall opened his eyes slowly, looking at him impassively, and Loki felt vulnerable under his heavy look.

“Where must it go?” Heimdall’s words were articulate and his voice was cold.

“Midgard,” Loki paused and then continued, “New York, USA. And you will follow my orders and will send me there, or I shall stab you with Gungnir, through your soul.”

“How they say in Midgard,” Heimdall’s expression did not change, “Go fuck yourself.”

“The same to you. Why don’t you try?” Loki bared his teeth, lifting the spear. Heimdall saw that and grinned humorlessly, shaking his head.

“You were ordered to stay here in Asgard, my prince, until your brother would not tell you otherwise.”

“You were a witness to our conversation, then.” Loki spat. “Well, I thought you had also been a witness to our deal with Thor in Midgard. Do you remember? He had agreed to my appeal not to put me under arrest at that time. And if Thor chose not to stick to his part of the deal, so did I.”

“You are too smart for your own good, my prince.” Heimdall answered. “Well, I am able to let you pass, technically. But you may be sure that Thor will know about your absence from this world as soon as possible.”

“I don’t doubt that. Now, send me in Midgard.”

Heimdall nodded and lowered his sword on the floor before him, putting the Bridge in motion.

**

The long corridors of an American military base, where he was teleported to, were practically deserted. At the very first moment, Loki casted a spell of invisibility in order to prevent himself from discovering. However, whilst he was advancing further along the corridors of the base, he could not find any people.

Loki went along the corridors for some time, looking for an exit of sorts. Apparently, he got to lower, practically unattended levels.

At last, Loki found himself at a shut armored door leading to upper levels. A numpad was flashing blinking red LED lights on the wall near the door, with a retina scanner in addition to that.

Loki frowned, looking at that electronic device. Then he lifted up his hand, putting his palm on the numpad carefully. He tried several spells that he had been using in case of hacking complex dwarven mechanic locks usually. However, the numpad did not react; the lights were staying red.

_Dost not the power of a wizard dwell in thee?_

Loki gritted his teeth, having not even noticing that. He put one palm on the numpad and the other one on the scanner, and tried yet another spell. A sound of the warning rang immediately and then a red alert started shouting. The door was still locked, though. The usual lights in the whole corridor had shut down, and only emergency red lights were flaring up and then going out repeatedly now, in a short time interval.

Loki swore, hitting the door with the spear with all his strength. It boomed and a blast of light blinded him for a moment. Then Loki discovered that the door was opened, its hinges nearly stripped.

He went into a passageway behind it.

**

On the upper levels, he noticed a commotion. The spell of invisibility had worn off long before that, and Loki did not deem it worth of renewing.

A pair of soldiers, apparently being already alerted, suddenly met Loki at the turn of a corridor, having jumping at him as soon as they noticed him.

They went down in a tumble, but Loki’s strength far surpassed the one that humans had. He tossed one of them aside, making him to connect with the wall. The other one tried to strangle him, but it did not take much time for Loki to turn around, appearing behind the soldier and breaking his neck.

Loki paused, breathing heavily through his mouth.

The loudspeakers above him came alive.

_Security breach committed. Intruder in the sector 5-2A. Repeat, intruder in the sector 5-2A._

Loki glanced in the direction of open doors in front of him, and he ran through them, casting a spell of invisibility again.

**

Loki had been wandering the base for a long time already. He met other groups of armed militaries, who had been searching for him. At first, they had not been able to notice him being under an influence of his spell, but then he discovered they might be suspecting something. Later, he met the soldiers wearing strange helms and goggles attached to them who began to shoot at him at the first sight.

Loki had hidden behind a wall in the next empty room, casting a spell of disorientation at the soldiers. After they had fallen on the floor trying to come to their senses, he ran.

He became more cautious after that.

After several hours of wandering, Loki went out in a round lobby. He was standing at the top of a front staircase, looking down at a polished granite floor with an image of some Midgardian predator bird in its center. The emblem was fulfilled in granite of another color, distinctly clear in fierce rays of the sun. Loki knew that emblem, it was a S.H.I.E.L.D one.

There was no one in the lobby, but Loki knew it could not last long. He had heard sounds of footfalls and turned around, preparing to meet an enemy. Nevertheless, when Loki saw the face of his adversary, his eyes widened.

_It’s him. The commander._

Standing at the top of the staircase now, a tall man in a black uniform apparently recognized Loki, too. His expression became surprised and he said something quickly in a walkie-talkie he had fixed at his shoulder.

Loki’s expression became predatory as he shape shifted Gungnir turning it into a long dagger. Its wicked blade was of a curved shape; Loki was holding it in his hand firmly, not paying attention to his surroundings.

The commander’s face was very alarmed now, he tried to tell something, but Loki interrupted him.

“I am surprised seeing that you are still alive. Had not my curse influenced you? But maybe you don’t remember that little incident on the Cameroonian base.” Loki said all that in a mocking tone.

The expression of the commander became somewhat close to horror, but he tried to keep a distance between them.

“But it does not matter as I shall kill you now.” Finishing his little speech with these words, Loki made a step further.

The commander recoiled, but Loki could not foretell what would happen in the next few moments. The military officer stumbled on the staircase and fell down the steps, having counted all of them in the process.

Loki descended the staircase quickly, but when he closed the distance between them, he discovered that the commander was dead already; his neck was broken and twisted under a strange angle.

The red alert started its howling again, and Loki finally decided in the favor of escaping from the base. However, whilst he was going to the glass doors of the lobby, something made him to look backwards.

What he saw there made him to turn around again.

There was a dark-skinned man in a black coat standing above the commander’s body, holding his hands behind his back. He had only one eye, the other eye was hidden beneath a black leather eye patch, and for one long and horrible moment, Loki thought him to be an avatar of All-father.

Then Loki remembered who it was. A paper from documents burned by him, the only one that had not contained any information apart from a photo and several words.

“Nick Fury,” Loki drawled, coming closer. “It seems I know you. You are the director of the S.H.I.E.L.D., that ridiculous organization which thinks it can control everything.”

“Exactly.” Nick Fury had not moved from his position that he occupied. His dark attentive eyes followed Loki’s movements with a vigilance.

“And you are familiar with my brother. Or, I’d rather say, not a brother. But it does not matter. You know his name. Thor.”

“And you’re Loki. I am aware of your talents.” Fury said this phrase slowly and Loki could not catch any signs of fear in his face.

“Yes. Therefore, I would like to give you an advice. For the further prospering and the happy future of your organization.” Loki made a theatrical pause. “Do not get involved with Thor. He is a god; he does not need you to help him win. You are just a dust under his boots. He will never start to defend your petty Midgardian interests.”

“Is that all?” Nick did not look convinced and that hurt Loki somewhat, but he made his best not to show any signs of that.

“Of course not. I would also like to discuss that little incident in Cameroon, where you had stormed my base, killing everyone there. Oh, and where you had put an end to my project, too. You have got good spies, I admit that. But…”

Loki pointed at the body of the commander.

“Do you see him? If you do not wish to come to a bad end like him,” Loki spat these words, stretching his hand with the dagger towards Nick Fury, accentuating his words, “Keep out of my way or you’ll be _destroyed_.”

The dark-skinned director of the S.H.I.E.L.D answered nothing, choosing evidently in the favor of watching Loki intently. Loki waited for a response, then, when it became clear that he would not get an answer, he nodded to Nick curtly, making an end to conversation, and went out of the building in the fierce light of sun.


	10. Niccolò

When Loki had left the S.H.I.E.L.D base, he ordered Heimdall to bring him to Netherlands, not counting on his quick response, though. To his utter surprise, not only Heimdall teleported him via the Rainbow Bridge to Netherlands, but Loki also found himself standing right in his Amsterdam apartments.

_Heimdall knows all, not missing the slightest opportunity to demonstrate that to me._

Loki held up Gungnir transforming it into its true form. He put it on a table in his bedroom and went to a bathroom, shedding his armor on the way.

The tension of the last few hours wore him out; he began to shiver.

_At least I did not have to fight with Thor. After a battle with him, I would not be able even to think about relaxation._

Loki dropped on the floor his Asgardian leather jacket with a breastplate and bracers, covered with gold, and then he made a step into the bathroom.

Its walls were made of polished black marble, and the lamps were radiant there, being hidden under a thick glass inside the bath and making the water and the walls of the bathroom to glow with violet light mysteriously.

Loki sank into the hot water, stretching his limbs. The splashing of the water soothed him, making him more relaxed. He spent an hour in the bath, staring at the opposite wall and thinking nothing.

As soon as an hour had passed, Loki came out of the bath, dried himself with a towel, put a white shirt on and went out of the bathroom into the hall. Loki noticed his jacket lying on the floor and he came up to it, turning out its pockets in the search of his cellphone.

Loki pressed the button turning the electronic device on and went into the kitchen where he began to prepare himself a cup of black espresso, at the same time having found Niccolò Agosto’s number in contacts.

Having patiently waited for a coffee machine to brew the coffee and for it to stop making noises, Loki called Agosto’s number.

“Hello,” the voice of Niccolò sounded flat.

“Hello, it is Mr. Laufeysson calling.” Loki tried to drink coffee from the cup, finding it too hot for his liking.

“Oh, is it you? I’ve thought…”

“Yes, I know already what you’ve thought, no need for further elaborating.” Loki laughed. “I just want to meet with you. Same place, same time of a day. Do you agree?”

“Yes, but…” Niccolò seemed to be trying to suppress his agitation now.

“It is not a phone conversation. Be there at the usual time, that’s all that I’m asking you.” With these words, Loki finished his call.

He pressed his fingers around the brim of the cup, making liquid inside to freeze a little. Then he drank his espresso slowly, savoring every drop of it.

After that, Loki looked at the clock hanging on the brick wall of the kitchen. It was time to go out already.

**

The streets of Amsterdam were very narrow, and the traffic was heavy in this hour. Loki rode slowly in his black BMW until the very moment the Doelensluis Bridge came into view.

He parked his car, having hardly found a place between cars and a parking lot for bicycles. There were a lot of them; the bicycles were even tied with chains to the railings of the bridge.

He made a few steps on the bridge, glancing in the direction of waters splashing under it. A pair of launches caught his attention for a while, and only when he looked at the other side of Doelensluis, he noticed Agosto at last. Niccolò stood at the nearest building with flowerpots decorating its windows, and he was reading a newspaper that he had just bought at the corner. His impeccable beige suit looked as if some fashion designer tailored it himself, and knowing Niccolò, Loki could suspect it to be true.

Noticing that Niccolò lifted his eyes from the newspaper, Loki waved a hand, trying to attract his attention.

“Hello,” he said when he caught up with Agosto. “I had been looking forward to meeting you again.”

“Hello, Loki,” Niccolò answered, folding his newspaper and looking at him curiously. “It had been for a while…”

“Yes.” Loki nodded in the direction of the street ahead of him. “Shall we go? I’ll answer all your questions that you surely want to ask.”

“Very well,” Niccolò said after a small pause, during which they went on the paved road that was leading them away from the bridge. “After your disappearance, I decided to make a further researching on that case, and I found out that you had disappeared under very strange circumstances, involving military officers of S.H.I.E.L.D agency, and one strange man, apparently of Nordic descent. Your errand boy was very evasive on the matter.”

”Ok, I shall explain that to you. However, you will not believe my words but I insist upon you to take them seriously.”

Loki made a pause, the necessity of further explaining left him nearly speechless.

“You see, that Nordic man, he is… my brother.”

“Really?” Niccolò turned to him, being sceptic evidently. “You both are not very much alike.”

“Don’t start.” Loki said wearily, “I’ve heard that a lot of times. Just believe me. He is my brother, and we are not related by blood, but he still thinks otherwise.”

“Just like in those Indian melodramas.”

“I have not watched them, but I guess you’re right.”

“And?” Niccolò was looking at him intently, pondering something.

“Well, he played on the side of S.H.I.E.L.D. He found out about my research and destroyed all that was related to it, by the order of Father.”

“You did not mention your father,” Agosto said suspiciously.

“It’s just a family matter, you see.” Loki sighed. “Father was never fond of my liking for Midgard… oh, for genetic studies, I mean. Mostly because of their military nature, I suppose. Therefore, he gave an order to destroy it all. I had been captured in the process.”

“You know, I’ve been watching very interesting security records from that Cameroonian base…” Apparently, Niccolò was not ceasing his attempts of discovering the truth.

“And _that,_ I shall not be explaining. Though if you go with me to Africa, you will be able to receive further answers.”

“What have you forgotten in Africa?”

Loki stopped before a small café and opened its door abruptly, making it clear for Agosto that he had to keep silence for a while.

**

They had been sitting in the quietest corner of the café, drinking coffee for some time already. Loki had been watching customers on purpose, not noticing Niccolò who had been gazing at him stubbornly.

“Well?” Niccolò asked at last. “Should I repeat my last question?”

Loki glanced at him and answered, “I’ve got an unfinished business there.”

“Believe me; you would not want to return.” Niccolò was frowning. “I’ve seen the photos; there was nothing left to save.”

“I do not mean that I have to return to that place exactly.” Loki said absent-mindedly, looking at the front door of the café, as if waiting for somebody to appear there suddenly. “I’m going to another place in another country.”

He made a pause. “So I’ve got a favor to ask of you. Would you like to go there with me?”

Niccolò stared at him, being evidently in doubt.

“How long have you not been in the field? For five years already? Aren’t you bored?” Having noticed Niccolò’s hesitation, Loki added, “I’ll pay you generously for that assignment.”

“And you have not answered my question.” Niccolò was still frowning.

“Well, if you go, you’ll see.” Loki laughed, “They say sometimes it’s better to see all with your own eyes.”

“I don’t understand. But I’ve heard too much unusual proposals in my life to be afraid of that one.” Niccolò nodded to him. “Yes, I’ll go to wherever that place is.”

Niccolò set aside his empty cup and added, “Besides, I’m really bored.”

**

They came up to Loki’s BMW when Niccolò asked suddenly, “Don’t you want to come to my place? I have every reason to suspect that there is a constant surveillance established upon your flat.”

“I didn’t think that would help us much. But yes, I agree.” Loki smiled.

He opened the door of the car and sat in it, steering it away from the parking.

After several moments of silence, whilst Loki was driving, Niccolò said, “In the classified S.H.I.E.L.D records, your brother has got a code name ‘Thor’. And…”

“It is not a code name, but a name.” Loki stopped BMW at a red light, and now he was tapping his fingers against the leather padding of a wheel in an impatient manner. “And I won’t even ask how you have got an access to the classified S.H.I.E.L.D information.”

“You want to tell me that he’s called _Thor_? Oh well, it can be so if he is a Scandinavian. They’ve got strange names.”

“You have no idea.” Loki sighed. “Let me give you an advice. You would better be ready not to wonder at anything.”

Loki drove his car in the street where Niccolò’s house was, a two-storey building with a small garden in front of it. Other buildings stood very close to it.

Agosto came out of the car and opened the door of his house whilst Loki was busy with his car.

**

They had been sitting in the drawing room of Niccolò’s house watching TV, which was murmuring something about the current state of local politics. Niccolò brought sandwiches and two bottles of the Belgian beer from the kitchen, and now they were busy eating all that.

“This beer is a fine one.” Loki decided to interrupt the silence; his current surroundings began to please him more. Niccolò’s house was not as luxury as Loki’s apartments were, and it could definitely not be compared with the Asgard ones, but it had its own charm, with old leather furniture standing in the room and a fireplace made from bricks.

“I knew you would appreciate it.” Niccolò gulped the remnants of the beer from his bottle and put it on the glass table standing near the couch, “So… What are we going to do now?”

Loki discovered an old leather armchair standing near the window and sat in it. “I’ll buy tickets and we’ll fly the day after tomorrow. It is as simple as that.”

Niccolò just grunted something inaudible.

Loki looked at him and asked, “Do you have internet here? Wi-Fi, maybe?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, then I’ll go and take my notebook from the car.” With these words, Loki stood and went out of the drawing room.

Outside, Loki looked around, checking his surroundings. The narrow street was empty, there were only several cars parked nearby. The paving was still damp from the rain, which did not last long. A grey sky above the roofs seemed threatening with the rain again.

_Those narrow streets always make one feel uncomfortable._

Loki had just taken out the bag with his notebook from his car when he heard a loud croaking. He froze, and then he turned around slowly. A great black crow was perching on a roof of a house next to him, its baleful eyes burnt.

Loki looked at it, not daring even to breathe.

_Odin._

Suddenly, a man, apparently a neighbor of Agosto, came up to the window of the house, opening it with a loud noise and scaring the crow away. It flied up, disappearing quickly behind the roofs. The man walked away from the window into the room, having noticed nothing.

Loki put the strap of his bag on his shoulder slowly, still looking in the direction where the crow went. The wind had risen, making him to shiver from the cold air suddenly.


	11. South Africa

Loki and Niccolò had been waiting for their baggage in a luggage claim area in King Shaka International airport. It was a tiresome 20 hours long flight, from Amsterdam to Cairo, and after that, from Cairo to Johannesburg and from it to Durban. By the end of this journey Niccolò, who was usually very talkative and optimistic, became just a mere shadow of his former self. After that, when Niccolò finally noticed his bag, he took it hastily and went to the closest chair, apparently trying to get some rest while Loki was watching for a pile of bags on a conveyor belt, trying to find his own sport one.

He noticed it at last and put it on the floor. Then he took out his cellphone, trying to find the location of their hotel, which they had reserved. Having done that, Loki glanced in the direction of Agosto who was nearly sleeping in a sitting position, and then he unbuttoned his jacket and touched a strange item, which was hanging on his neck. The item reminded of an amulet in the form of a spear and it was very heavy, too much for such a small thing.

Loki’s fingers felt the familiar magic and for a one long minute, he just stood there, looking ahead of him, savoring the moment.

Then Loki lowered his hand, taking his sport bag, and then he came up to Agosto’s chair, making him to stand up.

“Come on, we’ll go and try to get a taxi here. The weather is fine, by the way, it’s warm and nice.”

“I did not expect that,” Niccolò said when they went out through large glass doors in the street. Low stunted green trees could be seen nearby across the road, some kind of a forest. A group of sculptures, consisting of one man with two bulls, stood near the main entrance proudly. “I always thought it had to be very hot in South Africa.”

“Why is that? It is not an equator. Though I have to admit they’ve got their hot days often here.”

Still laughing, Loki put an arm around Niccolò’s shoulders, leading him to the closest car with a plate ‘Taxi’ upon its top. At first, Agosto stiffened under his arm, but then Loki smiled to him, making Niccolò to relax visibly.

_Sometimes, you behave like your brother._

**

Their hotel turned out to be a tall modern glass building. There were other large buildings behind it, and their glass walls were shining in the sun brightly.

Loki strode confidently in a hall of a hotel, having found a reception between the columns quickly. His friend was following him, not paying much attention to anything, surrounding him, from the lack of a sleep apparently.

“Hello,” Loki greeted a girl sitting at the reception, “we have reserved two single rooms in this hotel.”

“Hello, sir. Your passport, please.”

He casted a glance at Agosto who was listening to their conversation quietly, whilst the girl took his passport. Then Loki looked around him. The great spiral stairs made from metal and covered with chrome attracted his attention. It happened to be very steep with glass steps, and a glass wall was situated behind the stairs, and because of that, the stairs looked like the guests of the hotel had to climb up into thin air.

However, Agosto preferred to use an elevator, clearly not approving that brilliant designer idea. That is how it happened that Loki had to climb up the stairs all by himself.

When he had reached his floor, he made a stop, looking downwards. There were not any people in the hall at that moment, so Loki took his time to examine it. Massive beige columns were very high, going all the way up to the ceiling. The furniture of the hall seemed very small, from Loki’s point of a view here from the top.

Having satisfied his curiosity, he went into a corridor, looking for a door to his rooms. At first, he also wanted to pay a visit to the rooms of Niccolò, but then, remembering his weary eyes and tired appearance, Loki decided to put the visit off until tomorrow morning.

His rooms turned out to be light and spacious, in the center of the first room there were sofas with numerous soft pillows, which were scattered all over the sofas, but Loki went right into the bedroom, not even stopping to look at his apartments.

Loki sat on the bed with white sheets and multi-colored stripes on its coverlets, which only added more exotic look to the room. There were lamps with metallic shades in the form of a pyramid on a low wooden table near his bed, and Loki opened his suitcase and took out several items, putting them on the table; each of them was of a magic nature. The first one was a little leather bag with runes, the second one was an enchanted piece of a parchment. In addition, the third item was the same knife that he had been using not very long ago in his Amsterdam apartments for divination.

That time, it did not take long though. Loki took out three runes from the bag, having looked at them, and then he put them back in the bag again. Then he closed his palm around the blade, beginning to write something in Nordic alphabet on the parchment, whilst using his blood as an ink.

When all the parchment had been covered with strings of enchantments, Loki dressed his wound. He put all those items in the suitcase again, and then he lay himself to sleep.

**

Loki found himself laying on a wide bed in his Asgardian chambers amidst silken sheets and soft furs scattered all over it. There were books and magical scrolls all over his pillows, too. A flame, burning brightly in the fireplace, added more light to the bedroom.

Loki studied his palms carefully, having found them to be more delicate than they had been. In addition, his naked body was more slim and graceful, being just such as it had been several centuries ago. However, his muscles were defined slightly, and his overall look was that of a young adult, not a teenager. His black hair was also much longer, almost reaching his shoulder blades, this stark contrast, between their length and his usual short haircut that he had been wearing, surprised him.

Loki was stretching on the silken sheets lazily, contented smile on his face, when he heard sounds of heavy footfalls. Loki stood up slowly, putting his linen shirt on.

Loki lifted up his eyes; in the doorway, there had been Odin, standing there in a full armor, with Gungnir in his hand.

Odin approached Loki, having stopped behind him, kissing him in the neck, caressing a plane of Loki’s abdomen with his rough palm, and not paying attention to Loki’s snort and to his attempt to free himself from Odin’s grip.

Then Odin came up to the armchair and sat in it, having left Gungnir in the rack nearby.

“How do your studies go?..”

Loki opened his eyes in the darkness suddenly, being still under an influence of his dream.

_These were the days of Old Asgard…_

**

In the morning, he awoke with a headache and with a vague feeling of longing, which had not lasted long, though. Loki took a shower, after that putting on a cotton t-shirt with pants of a color of khaki, considering them more suitable for South Africa warm climate.

He took his cellphone and found a number in the contacts that he saved there on the night of him visiting Niccolò’s home.

“Hello, is it a private security company ‘Grendel’?” Loki said.

“Yes, sir. What’s your name?” The man’s voice on the other side of a phone line sounded confidently. “Have you left a request of our services earlier?”

“Could you please send your representative?” Loki asked. “I called you the other day, my name is Loki Laufeysson, and I’d like to discuss this question in private.”

“Yes, we can. Where can our representative meet with you?”

Loki dictated him an address of his hotel and finished the call.

After that, suddenly feeling somewhat lonely, he went out in a hotel corridor in the search of Niccolò. The rooms of the latter were further down the corridor. When Loki opened the door, he noticed his friend sitting on the couch and watching a hotel TV. He was in a much more better mood now, and having seen Loki, Niccolò smiled to him widely.

“It is a fine morning, my friend. When will we go to have a breakfast, by the way? In between those changes of planes, we’ve got a really nasty plane food.”

“I think that can be arranged. Let us go down in the restaurant, and then we’ll see.”

**

They found out there were not much people down there in the restaurant. Behind long rows of tables covered with white tablecloths, there was one with a great pyramid of exotic fruits with a servant cleaning yet other fruits for it. Apart from him and a barman, there was nobody in the sight.

Loki went right into the corner of the restaurant, having sat at the closest table there, and called the waiter. The latter appeared from behind a small door near the bar, coming up to Loki and Niccolò, smiling widely and preparing to hear what they wanted to order. His teeth were stunningly white.

When they both made their orders, Niccolò turned to Loki, asking: "What will be our next step of the plan? You don't tell me much, as usual."

"Well," Loki said, savoring the taste of a leg of a smoked lamb with spices, "We shall meet our travelling companions. I ordered a business room where we could meet with them and discuss our journey more thoroughly."

By the end of their meal, Loki's mobile phone rang. He put it to his ear, listening for what was being told to him, and then he turned to Niccolò, having smiled to him widely.

"They are here already. Let's go."

They came in a large room where a round polished dark wooden table stood with leather chairs around it. A large screen hung on the wall, and windows were shut with jalousies. There were two military men sitting at the table already, their uniform was clearly one of the local forces. Their black hair was cut shortly and their look was a very professional one.

"Hello, I am Mr. Laufeysson, and this is my friend Niccolò Agosto. Niccolò, those men are from security company 'Grendel', and they will be escorting us to the place of our destination." Loki shook their hands, having sat aside then, whilst Niccolò shook their hands, too. "I think that we can start our briefing. There is also one man that we have been waiting for, but he will join us later."

He took a remote control from the table and turned the screen on, connecting it to his notebook. A map of eastern part of South Africa appeared on the screen. Loki pointed at one area of the map where a zone of forests could be seen.

"Do you see that place? There is a small village there, inhabited by locals only. It could not have been of any interest to us; apart from the fact there had been rumors about strange... as I put it to you... animals wandering nearby."

"Is it a safari of sorts, then?" Niccolò asked, rising a brow.

"I wished it would be so." Loki smiled showing his teeth, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Alas, I've got a fleeting suspicion it will not be as simple as that."

"Those gentlemen," he nodded in the direction of militaries, "have got a goal of keeping us from all potential risks that may arise in the process."

Somebody knocked on the door.

Loki turned his head, answering, "Please, come in."

The newcomer was 6 feet 3 inches tall, his dark skin and curly black hair were that of only locals had got.

"And now, meet Bheka Coetzee." Loki said. "He will be our guide in those wild forests, as he knows them the best of us all."

Having turned to Niccolò, Loki added in a small voice, "But he is not only a guide for rich tourists, you know."

"Whom else may he be?" Niccolò rose a brow again, clearly not understanding anything.

"He is a shaman." Loki said that as if it explained all.


	12. The Village

Their journey started early in the morning of the next day. A jeep without a roof stood at the main entrance of their hotel, and both men from company Grendel had been sitting in it already, waiting for Loki and the persons accompanying him. Bheka was standing near the jeep smoking a cigarette and not paying any attention to Loki and his friend.

Loki put a sport bag that he brought with him on the ground and took out a small semi-automatic gun from it. He handed it out to Niccolò. The other man took it without any hassle, as if it should be expected.

"Nice gun," he said, putting it behind a belt of his jeans, having hidden it under his light white linen jacket. "Are you sure we won't meet someone more dangerous than your average wild animal?"

"Definitely so." Loki closed the bag. "By the way, those guys in the jeep have got assault rifles with them. There is one for you, too. You’ll only have to ask."

Loki sat in the jeep and waved a hand, inviting others to join him. The jeep started its run.

They had been riding for some time along streets of Durban with wilted trees standing near the road line, until they got to the wide road leading to the east. The traffic was not as intense as in European cities, but still there were many cars, new and old ones, on the road.

Loki looked with interest at street vendors and their exotic fruits that they had been selling. He had no desire to stop, though. The militaries talked to each other in hushed voices, discussing a result of some football match they had watched yesterday, apparently. Niccolò tried to talk with Bheka, but the latter happened to be not a talkative man, preferring to drive their car instead. Therefore, Niccolò surrendered and put his head on the back of his seat, trying to get some sleep.

As they started to move away further from the city alongside a beach, the weather became worse. Clouds on the horizon were becoming dark, and a storm was going to break out. Loki was put out from his reverie when a loud thunderclap boomed. He frowned and cried at the men in the jeep; they put a canvas on a roof of the jeep quickly, having created a protection from the rain.

Their jeep went up the road to the north, away from the ocean. The beach was lost behind quickly. They met less cars now, and the road became narrower and practically deserted. Bheka said several words inaudibly, folding fingers of his hand in a strange sign.

Suddenly, Bheka pulled up the jeep. When Loki looked at him uncomprehendingly, Bheka said in broken English, “There’s a man out there on the road. Big man.”

“What?” Loki drew forward from his seat, asking impatiently, “What is he doing there?”

“Don’t know. But he just stands there.”

The militaries, whose names Loki had not deemed appropriate to find out yet, gripped their rifles. Suddenly, it became very crowded in a small booth of the jeep.

“Get the windshield wipers running, why don’t you?” Loki cried at Bheka, “We cannot see anything in this blasted rain!”

Bheka was doing something with a panel board, but Loki did not want to wait. He jumped out from the jeep straight into the rain; the water, falling from the sky, filled his eyes. Loki saw the tall figure in middle of the road, which was approaching him, stepping heavily. Loki widened his eyes, recognizing Thor, which wore a simple shirt and military pants, heavy laced boots on his feet. Thor also had a rifle of unknown origin, which was hanging from a sling across his shoulders behind his back.

The men in the jeep also came out of it, having hidden behind its doors and levelled their guns at Thor.

Thor was closing a distance between them, slowly but steadily. Whilst Loki had been clinging onto his neck amulet, having forgotten how to breathe, Thor came up to him and squeezed Loki in his bear hug, paying no attention to rifles aimed at him.

When he released Loki, looking at him with widened eyes, not understanding anything, Thor said, “Hello, brother. Could you please tell your henchmen to cease their fervor?"

Loki turned around to his people and breathed, "Stop."

They obeyed.

**

They had been riding in the jeep in the continuing thunderstorm for some time already, when Loki deemed it worth to break the silence.

“So… What are you doing here, brother? Have not you got to do something in your realm, as it has been… _so far_?” Loki drawled last words, stressing every syllable.

Thor’s eyes darkened. An atmosphere in the jeep changed suddenly, making all those sitting in it to become alerted.

However, Thor made himself quiet and said only one word through clenched teeth, “Odin.”

“Odin?” Loki bent closer to Thor, looking straight into his eyes now, “What do you mean?”

“He’s awake."

"Yes, I know that. The premonitions had been more than clear." Loki said that in a pensive tone.

"What premonitions? I don't understand you, brother."

"Crows, dreams... It does not matter. So, what is now?"

Thor's brows knitted and he said with a great reluctance, “He had found out about that incident in Svartalfheim and had sent me into an exile, having also taken Mjollnir away from me.”

“WHAT?” Being shocked by the news, Loki had not noticed that he had switched to an Old Norse dialect, “What incident are you talking about? What have you done?”

Thor answered him in Norse, his voice was strained.

"I went to Svartalfheim for a hunting; we had been for three days and nights there. One high alf, which lands I had been visiting, wanted to join me with my entourage. However, it happened so that he had been killed accidentally... by me. So when I returned home, it nearly came to war with Svartalfheim... All-Father was awake already, and his wrath was powerful."

"You want to tell me that you've lost Mjollnir?" Loki shouted at Thor, not noticing that other people around him were fretting and that the booth of the jeep was starting to glow in a strange light.

“How could you let it happen? Not thinking at all, were you? And there you had been, with human petty armaments, without any weapon that would be worth its name!"

"Wait a minute!" Thor had been getting angered, too. "It was not my fault!"

"Of course, it was not your fault; it had never been your faults, but others' ones, exclusively. And how had you managed to stay a king for so long, I wonder?"

With these words, Loki threw back his head at the headrest of his seat and closed his eyes in exasperation.

After a long silence, Loki said, not opening his eyes, “We’ll be going to a dangerous mission. I had been counting on your help; I had been thinking that you would appear in this world with your Mjollnir, as usual. However, you had not. Therefore, you will not be left with an alternative but to obey my orders.”

Suddenly, he looked straight into Thor’s eyes, “And you’ll do as _I_ say, _brother_.”

**

All the day they had riding along the road which led them inland, sometimes they met small rivers and lakes among scarce groups of trees.

Late at night, they reached a village that was the destination of their journey. In the white light of the jeep’s headlights, they saw little houses where local people lived. The walls of the houses were built from crude large stones, being bound together with cement. The look of those walls only added a primitive note to the first impression.

They came out of the car, and after that, they had been standing near the jeep savoring a cool moist air, whilst Bheka was talking to an old man opening a door of one of those houses.

“It is a Kruger Park, we have reached it finally,” Loki said quietly to Niccolò, though his explanations were mostly for a sake of gloomy Thor standing nearby.

Loki continued, “Last time that I had been in this area, several years ago, Bheka told me a lot about strange things happening near this village. He had lived here for a long time until he moved to the capital. I had no time to pay attention to his story, then. However, at the last week, I thought it would be better to check it.”

As he was explaining all that to Niccolò, Bheka finished his conversation with a local, having come up to them.

“They said that they can receive us. There’s a house out here, for tourists.” Bheka pointed at one little house standing at the edge of the village behind a large and long fence, made from stones.

Inside, they found three small rooms with beds standing close to each other, with small pillows in local style and sheets that had not been changed for a while. Nevertheless, it did not stop all their company from laying on the beds and going to sleep.

**

In the moonlight, Loki opened his eyes, being suddenly awakened. He discovered that he did not see anything in the darkness of his room, hearing only a breath of other people sleeping there.

He stood up from his bed with crumpled sheets and went out in the yard, having left his dozing bodyguards behind.

Outside, he was able to hear quiet nightlife sounds of animals, hiding in the woods. At one moment, there was even a distant growl of a lion or, to the best of Loki’s knowledge, a leopard.

He looked around, having noticed at once a lone figure of Thor, sitting on a large stone near the fence and looking in the direction of woods pensively. Loki came up to Thor quietly, appearing from behind his back suddenly. Thor did not even bat an eyelash at the sight of him, having preferred to sit as still as before.

“What are you hoping to see out there in the darkness, brother?” Loki’s voice was as soft as silk.

“I do not know that, and I am not sure if I want to find out. I have never loved your secrets; your eager passion for being reticent and evasive had never been understandable to me.” With these words, Thor raised his hand, making Loki to sit on the stone close to him. His sheer force made Loki to obey; he was sitting beside Thor now, feeling the heavy arm of his brother on his shoulders.

“As if you don’t know me.”

“I do. Too well, I am afraid.”

They fell into silence, looking into darkness and hearing distant sounds of predators hunting nearby. After a while, Thor gently touched Loki’s hair by his hand, burying his fingers in it. Loki’s head fell onto his shoulder, and he felt Thor’s broad chest moving steadily under Loki’s own hand that he lay over a cotton fabric of Thor’s shirt.

A soft noise made them to bristle. A man went out of the guests’ house and, having noticed them both, made his way towards them. When he came nearer, Loki saw that it was Niccolò, his shirt unbuttoned and his hair tousled.

Niccolò came up to the wall and leant against it, taking out a pack of cigarettes from a pocket of his shirt and lighting one of them. He inhaled a smoke, and an unreadable expression appeared on his face whilst he smoked and looked at Thor hugging Loki.

“It seems that I know you.” He said at last, addressing his words to Thor. “CIA mentioned you in their reports, and more than once. S.H.I.E.L.D, too. Do you know they’ve got a full dossier on you, with photos, and even videos?”

“I doubt they know all the truth, my friend,” Thor answered him in a low voice, hugging Loki even tighter in the process. “Midgardian spies cannot know all.”

“How can that be? Or maybe, you have some information about you deleted? It can be made sometimes, though you’ve got to have close relationships with the powerful ones of the world.”

Loki could not stop himself from laughing right into Niccolò’s face.

“Niccolò, my friend, do not take offence, please. But you’ve got no idea…” Loki hid his face in Thor’s chest, still laughing.

Niccolò brought his cigarette to his lips again and shrugged his shoulders.

“Do not take offence, please.” Loki repeated, when he stopped laughing. “Even my brother does not often know my plans. It is for the best of all, I think. I told you that you would better see all with your own eyes. And maybe, tomorrow, you would see something that no human had seen yet.”


	13. Chitauli

In the morning, they gathered around their jeep, whilst Bheka was talking to Loki in a hushed tone, standing nearby. When their conversation had been over, Loki joined his group.

“We’ll be visiting a local place of interest. It is an ancient stela, an artifact of some sort, which seems to be dated eons ago.” Loki addressed those words to his men, but his eyes were looking right at Thor.

“What’s so remarkable about this stela?” Thor said that with an ease, being in a good mood apparently.

“Those people living here… They have got such interesting legends,” Loki drawled these words, saying them as if he was bored with the conversation already. “They say that stela had been created by mythical species called Chitauli…”

“What?” Thor’s friendly attitude had vanished straight away. “Those damned _Chitauri?”_

“Language, language…” Loki responded to Thor’s question in a mocking tone. “You had not been listening to me attentively, brother. As usual, though. Well, I can repeat my words to you. They are called Chitauli, and locals can tell you many curious legends about them. However, I thought you’d better to ask Bheka if you were interested in a local folklore. He could enlighten you on that matter better than me.”

Having said that, Loki turned away from Thor and sat into the jeep. It became a signal for other men from his group, which hurried to take their seats.

At last, Thor sat in the jeep, his expression being murderous.

“If this is some joke, brother…”

Loki ignored him, though, and Thor fell into silence.

They were riding in the jeep for a half of an hour already, not talking to each other, when Bheka noticed something near the road, behind trees, and stopped the car.

“Here it is,” Bheka waved his hand in the common direction of a gap between trees, where something stuck out from yellowed grass.

He opened the door of the jeep and went straight to it, whilst other men were told by Loki to stay near the car.

“So,” Loki put his hand on Thor’s shoulder and another hand on Niccolò’s one, “Shall we see?”

**

The stela was a round shiny metal disk of an ideal form, which protruded from the ground slightly. There were some strange symbols on its surface, engraved with a great skill, reminding of letters of an unknown language to those looking at them.

Loki sunk on one knee, looking at the symbols intently, trying to discern some hidden meaning behind them. Niccolò was also staring at them; he was standing behind Loki’s back, not paying any attention to others.

Bheka came up to the stela and began telling his story, he looked like as if he had been used to such a reaction from numerous tourists visiting this place before. It looked like he had been telling that story many times already.

“That stone, it had been laying here for many years. It had been here before the birth of me, and my father, and the father of his father. Chitauli laid it here, they did. Sometimes, they show up here, at this place, and they abduct people daring to come near it.” He finished that phrase nearly whispering, trying to impress his audience.

Niccolò said skeptically, “It sounds like all those stories about aliens. Doesn’t it?”

He cast a quick glance at Loki who was touching the symbols by the tips of his fingers. Loki grunted something inaudibly, being oblivious to his surroundings.

For some time, Niccolò waited patiently, but when it became clear that he would not receive an answer, he sighed.

Being evidently bored with a monotonous voice of their guide who continued to describe evil deeds of Chitauli, Niccolò put his hand in the pocket of his jeans, having found a cellphone there. He started a camera application in it, and then he swiftly made a pair of photos of the stela.

Loki stood up, casting a glance at him, and frowned.

“Thor.”

“What, brother?” All that time, Thor had been staying at some distance from their group, listening to their guide but not asking him any questions. Whilst Bheka continued his speech, Thor’s expression had become even darker than earlier.

“Make him to delete his photos.”

“Wait, what?” Niccolò made two steps backwards, trying to hide his phone in the pocket. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You do understand that you have seen something here that can’t become known to the world.” Loki made a pause. “Now, give me the phone.”

With these words, Loki reached out his hand to Niccolò. Thor made several steps in their direction, not saying a word, though.

It seemed that Niccolò decided to give in.

“Well, if you say so…” He handed his phone over to Loki who swept through photos and deleted them quickly, having returned the cellphone to his owner after that.

“You should not play with that artifact, brother.” Those words of Thor made Loki and Niccolò to look at him. Bheka, who decided that his services as a guide were not needed anymore, had chosen in the favor of returning to the jeep with Loki’s men. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Have the words ‘too dangerous’ ever stopped you?” Loki asked him.

“No.”

“So, it is really surprising, to hear such words from you, when your own recklessness had become known to all Asgard.”

Thor’s face became furious, and his hand tried to find Mjollnir on his belt. That attempt of his was not crowned with success, though. Having seen that, Loki snorted.

“You’ve got your power no more, Thor. Now, you are as dangerous to me as a mere mortal is. You must have angered All-Father very, very much, if he had chosen to punish you in such a way. I never thought I would ever see that day.”

“Wait, what do you mean – ‘a mere mortal’?” Niccolò asked, at the same time trying to stand in between Thor and Loki.

“Don't concern yourself with matters that are not your business,” Loki said through gritted teeth, at the same time raising his hand slowly in order to touch his neck amulet.

Thor began to move to Loki slowly, like a dangerous predator, not paying attention to anyone and anything around.

Suddenly, an ethereal light had split the sky asunder.

It engulfed Loki who tried to jump to the side, pushing Niccolò with him. For a minute, all the men present were blinded by the light, and when it had faded, Thor found himself standing alone in the circle of burnt-out black runes on the ground amidst yellow grass.

**

Loki discovered himself laying on the black marble floor with the bright glittering specks of the unknown origin. When the fog in his eyes had disappeared entirely, he saw high leather boots of a dark warrior standing in front of him, having leant on his sword. At the wall of a round room, Niccolò was groaning.

“Heimdall,” Loki’s voice was strained.

“My prince,” Heimdall’s smirk was nearly insulting. “How was your Midgard journey?”

“Why the sudden recall?” Loki stood up, trying to gain his balance. All was swimming before his eyes, and it seemed to Loki that Heimdall had dealt with him without mercy.

“All-Father wishes to see you in throne room. Now.”

“And him?” Loki nodded in the direction of Niccolò.

“Not him. Only you.”

“Then why the hell did you bring him here?”

“I could ask you the same question.” Heimdall did not move in the slightest, and when Loki continued to look at him, he added, “Need I remind you that your father awaits?”

“Very well. Next time, we will be able to discuss that matter more thoroughly.” With these words, Loki came up to Niccolò.

He was sitting on the floor, wide-eyed, disoriented.

Loki squatted down beside him, touching Niccolò’s chin with his fingers.

Having looked into his eyes, Loki asked, “Are you hurt?”

“No… Where am I?” Niccolò’s eyes were wild.

Lowering his hand, Loki said, “Heimdall out there will be able to explain it to you. As for me, I have to go. ”

He turned around to Heimdall again. “Call someone to lead the mortal through the palace.”

With these words, Loki stood up, and then he left the sphere of Bifrost.

**

That time, Loki walked down the long corridors of Asgard without any guards or any entourage. However, he had found the lack of their presence to be unnerving.

Being in a deep reverie, he suddenly discovered that he had already come to the doors of the throne room. Guards wearing impenetrable masks noticed Loki and saluted him, and then they began to open heavy gilded door wings.

He entered the throne room, directing his eyes right to Odin. All-Father wore magnificent ceremonial garments embroidered by gold and his expression was rather menacing, and immediately, Loki decided against a simple bow to the Asgard ruler, having sunk on one knee and having bowed his head instead.

He had been waiting for several long minutes already, with a sinking heart, when Odin said finally, “Loki.”

“All-Father,” At last, Loki had made himself to look right into Odin’s eyes. “I have returned.”

“So I see.” Odin’s glare swept across Loki’s face. “And how dare you to enter these chambers not wearing an apparel? Your look is improper for the Asgardian prince; you are wearing dirty Midgardian clothes. Need I remind you about what dignity is?”

Loki’s expression became confused, he, indeed, had only then noticed that he still was in his jacket and jeans covered in an African road dust, and that his boots were in the red soil.

“My apologies, All-Father, I shall change my attire. It will not happen again.”

Odin waved a hand, having made Loki to stand up.

“I need to discuss your future with you. I exiled your brother. He’ll be staying in Midgard, and now it is your responsibility to be the throne’s heir.”

Loki looked at Odin in a shock, not daring to believe what he had just heard.

Odin continued, “We’ll have to go through some rituals, and after that, you’ll be ready for the role of the heir. Go and change your attire. I’ll send for you when the time comes.”

Loki nodded and bowed to him, having risen on his feet.

He was going to the massive throne room doors, when he heard Odin’s voice, “Wait, Loki. Where is Gungnir?”

“Father.” Loki’s heart began to pound even faster, and he turned around to Odin slowly, trying not to show him a tempest, breaking in his soul right now. “I…”

Loki touched the amulet on his neck with fingers that became very cold suddenly, making Gungnir to transform itself.

Then, he lifted up the glowing spear in his arms, showing it to Odin.

All-Father nodded.

“Good.”

Then he waved a hand, sending Loki out of the throne chambers.

**

Loki caught a master of ceremonies in one meandering gallery of the palace, giving him an order to send servants to his chambers. When the master bowed to him and disappeared somewhere, Loki chose the shortest way to reach his destination. The people, who met him in the corridors, looked at his clothes in a strange way, but nobody dared to say anything to the prince.

Loki stopped in front of his doors, being still in a reverie. The flames of torches, hanging on the wall, made his shadow to dance on the floor. Loki raised his hand with Gungnir slowly, and the light of the crystal encrusted in its upper part flared up. The doors opened even so slightly, leaving a gap, and Loki put a hand on one door wing, pushing it, making it to open.

Loki came in; he noticed that nothing had changed in his chambers during that time that he had been absent. Loki sat in the leather armchair standing near the large window. The surroundings, known to him since his childhood, could soothe him no more, for presentiments of danger were looming on the horizon.

He could not bear it.

So, Loki just put his head on an armrest and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chitauli – There are indeed such legends about Chitauli in South Africa. The people, who live there, believe in those aliens who visit the Earth from time to time. Maybe, Marvel decided to borrow that legend. ;)


	14. Sorcery

A noise wakened Loki when servants came in his chambers in order to get him dressed for the ceremony. They brought a pile of ceremonial garments with them, and a pair of women hurried to Loki with intentions to take off his clothes, but abruptly stopped in confusion when they saw his jeans and heavy military boots.

Loki waved them off, unlacing the boots and taking them off. After that, he began unfastening the belt of his jeans, pointedly ignoring their stares.

The master of ceremonies approached him, holding a linen shirt with long sleeves, with gold embroidery adorning it.

“Put the shirt on the armchair,” Loki said curtly, leaving his belt on the floor and beginning to unbutton his shirt. The master of ceremonies pursed his lips, being displeased with the neglecting of the rules, but he did not dare to say anything.

The embroidery on the shirt scratched Loki’s skin unpleasantly when he put it on. He shivered, unbuttoning his jeans at the same time. The master of ceremonies gave him leather pants and yet another shirt which had to be worn over the first one.

The shirt was slightly longer, and thus Loki was able to skip an awkward moment of demonstrating his private parts to all the people gathered in the chambers.

Then, Loki took a ceremonial cuirassin his hands. It was made from gold, leather and metal, and the master of ceremonies helped him to tighten numerous belts hanging from it.

After that, Loki looked in the direction of his helmet, which lay on a polished wooden table, shining brightly in flames of the torches on walls.

Loki came up to the table and took the helmet in his hands. It was adorned with intricate inlaid patterns and there was a long black tail made from hair of some unknown magical beast onan upper part of it.

Loki slowly raised the helmet and put it on his head. The tail, hanging from the helmet, flowed in air behind him whilst he turned around to the servants and made a gesture with his hand, telling them to bring his high boots.

That time, he did not attempt to stop the master of ceremonies when he lowered on his knees in order to put the boots on him.

He just waited patiently, and when the ceremony of dressing was completed, he said, “Bring me Gungnir.”

**

Loki came in the chamber, and heavy impenetrable doors that could not be broken by the most deadly weapons in all the Nine Worlds slammed after Loki.

Inside, Odin had been waiting for him, clad in the armor, which he usually held Asgardian reviews in, a war staff in his hands, and when Loki finally looked in his eyes, for several long and scary moments he thought that Odin would attack him on the spot.

Then Odin beckoned Loki and that scary sense of immense danger had vanished.

Loki made several steps until he stood right before All-Father.

Odin looked him over and nodded to him, “Your armor… You look good in this one, and I am going to have you on my bed yet again. That is, if you manage to live till the evening.”

Loki’s eyes widened, and Odin, noticing his confusion, laughed.

“You didn’t think that you would get a title of the heir of the throne without efforts, did you?”

Odin pointed behind Loki, making him to turn round.

Only now, Loki noticed a table standing at the far wall of the chamber, with a chest laying on it.

“What is it? I thought…”

“There’s a magical artifact in the chest. I used it to build walls of protection whenever I needed that in my wandering through all the Nine Worlds.” Odin said, interrupting him.

All-Father came up to the table and opened the chest, taking out a disk, which was laying on a velvet cushion, and showing it to Loki. Strange signs and drawings covered the disk, having reminded Loki of something long forgotten.

“Though I did not use it here in Asgard, because it was heavy guarded in all times. However, I thought that it would be better if Asgard was protected with yet another wall, magical in nature, but I had never thought of using that artifact on such a scale.” He made a pause. “Now that I have you, the task gets easier. If you manage to succeed, Asgard will be yours.”

Loki frowned, trying not to let Odin entangle him in his snares.

“As far as I understand, the problem is in multiplying the effect of the artifact, making a spell more powerful? What prevented you from completing that task yourself?”

Odin said, “The spell takes a lot from that one who is trying to accomplish the task. The larger the wall, the greater backfire. And you have to use all potential of the artifact in order to be able to build the wall suitable for Asgard protection.”

He made a pause.

“I don’t specialize in a magic of protection. However, you do. So, you can try to do that, if you want.”

Loki asked him, “And my success would be the guarantee of my new position?”

_You will never stop testing me._

“Yes.”

Loki nodded curtly in response to that promise.

“Then I’ll start.”

**

He took the disk in his hands and began to visualise a sigil in the air. Its twisted contours started to glow in the dark, slowly flaring up. They flowed in the air, making to glow all the surroundings.

Loki licked his lips. So far, all went without a hitch.

He finished an intricate work of creating the symbols of an ancient language, used solely for such a case nowadays.

Then, Loki touched the sigil with his bare hands, visualising Asgard in the center. Its outlines appeared quickly, glowing with gold; and it was the exact moment when something went wrong.

The sigil had burnt his fingers and he jerked his hands away from it with a curse. The spell began collapsing, and only using the disk again helped him not to lose everything.

He tried to visualise Asgard again, but his efforts were futile.

He cursed, gripping the disk in his hands and gritting his teeth.

That had been a promise of a very long and dirty work awaiting for him.

**

Several hours later, Loki’s spell had been completed, and he left hold of the artifact, watching without emotions as it clanked loudly against the floor. After that, he made several unsteady steps forward.

Loki quickly understood that he had begun falling on a polished granite floor of the chamber.

Odin appeared before him at once; his fall stopped when Odin had lifted Loki up, smoothly and without any efforts, as if Loki weighed nothing at all.

Odin was going to doors, with him in his arms.

Loki could barely breathe; he was close to losing his consciousness, whilst Odin was carrying him in his arms along Asgard corridors.

Loki closed his eyes, letting the darkness to sweep him away.

**

When he had regained consciousness, Loki discovered that he was lying on the massive bed in Odin’s arms, his head on All-Father’s chest. Loki became aware of Odin’s strong fingers caressing his hair absentmindedly, and when he opened his eyes, Odin took him by the chin and kissed.

Loki was half-naked; a shirt on his torso did not cover anything, the rest of his clothes were scattered on the floor at the footboard of the bed. He noticed sperm on the stomach; it was slightly dried out already.

Loki gritted his teeth, trying to sit, though without any success. Odin’s grip was firm like steel and he continued to kiss Loki as if nothing happened.

Having struggled for some time, Loki found himself on his back with Odin lying under him and clasping him to his chest. Loki was feeling Odin’s penis pressed against the small of his back, erected already.

Loki felt being slowly aroused, and that did not escape Odin’s attention, he put his hand on Loki’s penis and began to stroke it leisurely.

Loki pushed into his hand, his fists clenched. Odin continued to stroke him, and then Odin leant against the headboard of the bed, having lifted Loki up, making him to sit, and slowly impaling him on his penis.

“Stop,” Loki hissed from pain, Odin’s erected member was too big for his anus.

Odin touched the back of Loki, whose muscles were strained from hurt; a sheen of sweat on it was glistening in the light from a fireplace. He made Loki to change his position into a kneeling one, and his penis slid up into Loki’s anus.

Odin bent forward to Loki, whispering right into his ear, “You make a good sheath for my blade. Now, be patient or it will hurt.”

Loki tried to suppress shuddering. He had spent many nights and days in Odin’s bed before, but that very first moment always made him nervous.

He felt being filled up, and the sensations of that overwhelmed him. He bent forward, trying to dispose of that feeling, but at that moment, Odin began to fuck him, his motions were steady and fast. Loki gritted his teeth again, whilst he felt that he had not been able to relax enough and that the huge penis of Odin broke something inside him, his anus started trickling down with blood.

The blood had made the process easier, and then Loki was able to pay attention to other sensations. Suddenly, he felt the nearing of an orgasm. It was so sudden and quick that he could not warn All-Father. He just fell on the bed, making Odin to halt. The voice of All-Father made him to rise again, but then he found out that he could continue to fuck in a sitting position only, in the firm grip of Odin’s arms.

Odin fucked him for some time, but then he stopped.

Loki’s vision was blurred; he did not understand anything. However, his eyes widened, when he had noticed a piece of cord in Odin’s hand.

“You would not make me to suffer all the night, would you?” Loki said that, having lost his voice. He was looking at Odin in horror as he wrapped the penis and balls of Loki with a cord, leaving him in an erected state.

“Please, don’t, I…”

Odin hit him in the face with an uncovered palm of his hand.

That silenced Loki.

**

Loki opened his eyes; the warm rays of the first Asgardian sun on his face woke him up. He felt as if the truck hit him, the feeling that he’d rather prefer not to experience again.

The last night was exhausting for him; the constant need to _come_ without the slightest possibility to do so was gruelling. After several hours, he had lost his consciousness again.

Loki stood up, trying not to pay attention to a throbbing pain in his private parts. Odin was laying on the bed, sleeping peacefully.

Loki frowned. He could not tell if Odin had gone into Odinsleep again, but the possibility of that was too small for his liking.

He bent forward, picking up his clothes from a floor, getting himself dressed quickly. Then he took Gungnir, whispering the spell of the healing, and then he went out from the chambers.

**

He had been sitting in one of the numerous rooms on a balcony, having ordered servants to bring him food. They submitted to his demands and the breakfast had been served on the table. Silver dishes with vegetables, fruits and meat were before him, and jugs with mead and water were standing apart from them.

He was eating the meat of lamb spiced with pepper and rosemary, when he lifted his eyes and noticed a lone figure of Heimdall standing at the door of the balcony. He was clearly watching him for some time already.

Loki frowned.

“Why have you come here?” He said, pouring himself a silver tankard with mead and savoring its taste.

The servant at his side threw up her hands, not expecting that from a prince and quickly getting hold of the mead jug in order to fill the tankard again.

Heimdall looked at him without any expression on his face, as usual.

“We need to talk.”

Loki made a long pause and then he said in a haughty tone, “Speak.”


	15. Thor

Heimdall was standing before Loki’s table, frowning. Then he elaborated, “We have to talk alone, for my words are not meant for somebody else’s ears.”

Loki glanced at the servant and nodded her out; she got the hint, vanishing from the balcony at once.

After an awkward pause, the warrior said, “Thor has been captured.”

Loki stopped drinking from the tankard, and looked at him, incredulously.

“What?”

“They seized him, short after you had left the site.”

Loki put the tankard on the table with a clank; his eyes were stern and cold now.

“By whom?”

“Chitauri.”

“And where are they now?” Loki asked him, his fingers were drumming on an edge of the table.

“I cannot see them. They must be out of my reach already, outside of all the Nine Worlds.”

They fell into silence.

“Should I inform All-Father?” Heimdall said.

“Are you asking for my advice?” Loki snorted. “How unusual for you.”

Heimdall continued to look at him stubbornly.

Loki frowned, looking from the balcony, where they were, at the splendid view of mountains and forests, hazy with distance and with a soft radiance of the Asgardian magical wall of protection that he created. “No, I’d rather prefer not to notify him. All-Father is unpredictable nowadays, and I cannot guess his reaction. I’ll have to settle that matter alone.”

Heimdall nodded and turned around, intending to leave him.

“Wait.” Loki’s words made Heimdall to look at the prince again.

Seeing the questioning glance of Heimdall, Loki said, “My father sent Thor into exile in Midgard, and I want to know what caused that.”

Heimdall’s face darkened, his brows knitted.

“My prince, you will not like what you are so eager to hear.”

“Tell me.”

Heimdall sighed and said, “Your brother got involved in the scandal with that high alf of Svartalfheim whom he killed, as you had found out recently. For Asgard, it became of great importance how exactly he had been killed.”

Loki was staring at him, not even blinking.

Heimdall continued his speech, “That high alf was of great position and noble blood, and they went to a hunt with your brother. After a successful hunting, they stopped for a rest. The high alf, whose name I shall not be mentioning, had a weakness not only for women but also for men. He also had got a strange sexual predilection. The high alf asked Thor to strangle him during theirintercourse in order to derive more pleasure. It happened so that Thor had not known the borders of his own strength, and it led to that high alf’s death.”

Having looked at Loki who was sitting at the table in utterly surprise, Heimdall added, “The official position of Asgard is that the high alf had been strangled by Thor who mistook him for an enemy. But now you know the truth.”

Loki’s brows knitted, and he said slowly, “No wonder that All-Father is furious.”

“You might want not to talk with him about that.”

Loki nodded and then he lifted his hand, sending Heimdall away. “I’ll be at the Bridge shortly.”

The guardian of the Bridge went out, leaving Loki to sit on the balcony, lost in deep thoughts.

**

An hour later Loki, wearing his another set of armor, meant solely for combat, appeared on the Rainbow Bridge.

“Do you see from here that man called Bheka?” He asked Heimdall.

“Yes, he’s again in that city they called Durban, and he’s clearly in dismay. They fled the site after all that happened. I can teleport you to his place if you want to see him.”

“I do.”

“My prince.” Heimdall cleared his throat. ”What should I do with that human you have brought here in Asgard?”

“Niccolò? Well, you can appoint somebody to look after him. If he wants to return in Midgard, let him to do so. Also, allow him to explore the palace, because he will definitely want that. However, he must not meet All-Father, because if he does that… The consequences may be gruesome.”

“Never in my life would I suggest that, as All-Father hated humans. It’s good for us that he does not listen to idle talks of servants always starting to discuss a newcomer.”

“You mean they do not dare discuss anything in his presence.” Loki snorted.

“I could not have said it better.”

“What have I just heard, Heimdall? Flattery? From you?” Loki laughed, turning to Heimdall.

The other man muttered something inaudible.

“Well, enough of that. Send me to Midgard.” Loki came up to the center of the sphere, casting spells in order to disguise his armor.

**

Loki had been walking along a narrow asphalt road for some time already. That part of the city, the southern suburb of Durban, was named KwaZulu-Natal, as Loki found out from road signs. He asked one local man questions; the local was very surprised to see a young white man (unusual in the suburb), who was leaning on a stick (twice as unusual as that). However, he was able to give Loki directions to Bheka’s house.

Loki stopped and looked around. The surroundings before him reminded him of Europe; all that he saw looked very much like German small towns. There were one-story beige houses on the both sides of the road that were fenced off by brick walls. Loki went to one of them, noticing a forged gate, which was opened slightly.

He slid into the yard, having opened the gate. There were strange exotic trees in the yard, but Loki looked at them briefly and averted his eyes.

The house door opened before him, after some efforts from his part. Loki came in an entrance hall and stopped, listening intently.

Suddenly, he heard a noise in the house. Loki raised a wooden stick, turning it back to Gungnir. The sweet sensation of power engulfed him; and a wind had risen in the closed space of a corridor, making the glass in windows in the next room to break with a loud bang.

He came into a room where Bheka Coetzee stood behind an old table, holding a gun in his hand. He had been frightened to death already. When Bheka saw Loki, he cried and freaked out, trying to hide behind the table.

“Do not panic, for I mean you no harm,” Loki said quickly, his other arm stretched forward.

Bheka froze, not wishing to leave his coverapparently.

“I have come here to find out about Thor,” Loki was saying that in a soothing tone. “Then I shall go away.”

There was silence, and then Bheka said in shaky tone, “Is this really you?”

“Have you got any misgivings? Of course, it’s me.” Loki tried very hard in order to sound convincingly. “Now, please, show up. And do not use that gun of yours, I am begging you.”

After several moments of doubt, Bheka appeared from his cover cautiously. The gun in his shaking hands made Loki to frown displeasedly.

Bheka asked Loki, looking at him warily, “So Chitauli didn’t captured you, did they? They steal souls of all whom they seize, you know.”

Loki sighed.

“Truth to told, they didn’t capture me, however, they did that with my brother. So I’ve come here to ask you several questions about that event.”

“But I saw how both of you disappeared in that column of light…”

“The persons, responsible for that, were not Chitauli,” Loki said.

When Bheka continued to look at him with distrust, Loki explained crossly, feeling his story to be collapsing like a house of cards, “Listen, if I had been seized by them, I would not return, and, without any doubt, I would not ask you questions about circumstances of Thor’s capturing. So tell me all that you saw.”

“But they return.”

“What?”

“They return, telling about horrible things Chitauli did to them.”

“Idiot!” Loki lost his temper, baring his teeth.

_I shall never become a good negotiator…_

He tried speaking again; that time, his voice was the most persuasive one and he was intoning his words in a special way.

“Listen to me. Now, you will put your gun down. Do not fear anything; you are in safety here. Do you understand me? You are in safety.”

Bheka was looking at him with glassy eyes now. He stretched his arm, putting the gun down on the wooden table, and Loki took it away immediately.

“Now, you can tell me what has happened.”

Bheka’s expression hardened, and he said, “When you both with that man disappeared, all were frightened. There was a circle burnt on the ground, and a smell of smoke. We run towards the jeep and sat in it, but we could not get away, there was something with engine. That man, Thor, he stayed in the circle and we began to yell at him to get out of there. And he came to us, he did. But as we tried to open the door of the jeep, something happened. And, man, it was horrible, really horrible. There was a strange blue light, we were blinded by it, Thor stood outside of the jeep, and when the light disappeared, there was nobody there. We could not find him. And the engine started, and we thought that we gotta to get out of there really fast.”

“Was that all?” Loki was surprised. “Just a blue light, and nothing more, and he had disappeared in a thin air? Like that?”

“Listen, I tell you…” Finally, Bheka came into his senses, and that time, he had been going to weep.

“Was there anything else worth mentioning? Sounds, cries, silhouettes of somebody?”

“No.”

“Well, I thought I should see it with my own eyes.”

“I won’t go there! No-no-no.”

“Nobody even invites you.” Loki put the gun on the windowsill carefully. “Now that you have calmed down, I’ll return your gun to you. Do try not to shoot somebody.”

Bheka had not made any move to claim his weapon, being too shocked for that. He watched as Loki nodded to him and then he went to the door.

**

Loki sat on yellow grass near the Chitauli disk under unmerciful rays of sun, sighing wearily. There were no other stones in closer proximity, though he looked for them hard. A couple of hours ago he ordered Heimdall to teleport him quickly to this place, and all that time he spent searching for disks and also for any signs that Chitauli could leave capturing Thor.

He had not found anything yet.

He casted a glance at the stone disk, again. He could sit on it, it seemed a better option than sitting on the ground, but some hidden instinct told him not to do that.

_For Chitauli, it clearly would be a desecration. Let us try not to worsen the situation._

However, something told Loki that Thor could do exactly that. Somehow.

Loki frowned. Any chance of him being eventually noticed by them was not that small, of course, but he did not want to wait.

He stood on his knees bending to the ground and then he casted a spell of dissolving illusions. The only things that had been affected by it were his own clothes that changed their Midgardian look to Asgardian one.

Then, Loki casted another spell that could activate hidden portals. A few centuries ago, it saved his life when he was trapped in an ice palace in Jotunheimr. The palace was long forgotten by his own inhabitants, but there was still a lot of traps waiting for an unsuspecting newcomer there.

This time, nothing happened. The world around him was oblivious to his efforts.

Loki stood up, cursing. The task of detecting them was far more complex than he thought before. It seemed to him now that he needed to spend a long night casting spells in an isolated room in Asgard palace.

_That’s the last thing I want to do right now… To return._

Suddenly, the white sky split up.


	16. Disclosure

There was an early morning in Asgard, when Niccolò woke up in a large chamber with a handmade furniture and tall windows through which he could see a green garden with a fountain. There was a wide balcony in his room, which led to a gallery outside, encircling the entire palace.

He came up to the balcony railing and put his hands on it carefully. His mind was reeling up with unanswered questions, trying to understand something.

Suddenly, chamber doors opened, and a man in strange clothes came in, bowing to surprised Niccolò.

“Where am I?” Niccolò asked, noticing how silently he was moving.

The man was dressed in a linen robe of unusual cut with long sleeves and wide trousers, his boots of soft leather did not make any noise.

“Welcome to Asgard, my lord.” The man said, and whilst Niccolò looked at him in dismay, not knowing what to say, he added, “My name is Fabrisíus, and I shall try to make your stay comfortable here. Do you wish for something?”

“And my name is Niccolò Agosto. But… Where is that… Asgard?” Niccolò said after a long pause.

The man smiled condescendingly, “It is one of the Nine Worlds. I was told that the crown prince had brought you here; however, he is not at the palace now. Nevertheless, he gave an order to accompany you, thus I came here. And I shall repeat my question: do you wish for something?”

“Well, I… I’d like to take a bath and to eat.” Niccolò answered quickly, but clearly, his thoughts were preoccupied by a more important question. “Who was that crown prince, who brought me here, as you said earlier?”

“Loki Odinsson, my lord.”

“Oh! Loki, indeed. But I thought that his surname was Laufeysson, wasn’t it?”

“My lord, I would recommend you _not_ to call the crown prince ‘the son of Laufey’. Otherwise, you may be thrown into dungeons.” The expression of Fabrisíus did not change at all; he was smiling pleasantly as if his words were in the order of things.

“I see…” Niccolò raised both his hands, surrendering without further questions. “Well, I think I am really in need of that bath.”

Fabrisíus still smiling pleasantly invited him in the bathrooms where he left Niccolò whilst the latter stood spellbound, looking at a large pool in the center. The water ran from somewhere under the ceiling and into the pool.

A half of an hour later, they had sat at the round table with a tabletop made from polished oak, where a breakfast was served. Fabrisíus preferred not to eat but to watch Niccolo eating instead.

When he went to a dessert from some unknown berries, Fabrisíus spoke.

“As you have found out already, it is the palace of Asgard,” Evidently, Fabrisíus decided to play a role of a guide for Niccolò now. “I can show it to you, but on some strict conditions. Do you wish for that?”

“Yes, please.” Niccolò was drinking some strange drink that Fabrisíus called _mead_ from a metal cup, but then he stopped, being interested in the words of his interlocutor.

“So listen to me. You cannot flaunt the rules. You cannot tell anybody who you really are. If somebody asks you, you will tell him that you are a servant from a small village behind those mountains that you can see from those windows. Be quiet and subservient, and try to go away from that one who is asking you questions, as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I understand that. But why such precautions?” Niccolò sounded surprised.

“Because we don’t like humans here, and the mere suspicion of a human in Asgardian walls can provoke somebody.”

“And you are not a human.” That sounded like a statement.

“No.”

“Oh well, so who are you?” Niccolò said that with a slight irritation.

“Asgardian, of course.”

“Asgardian. I should have known that.” Niccolò said sarcastically. “Well, I’ve got no more questions. For now, I mean.”

An hour later, they went through a long gallery with stone walls and brass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Niccolò changed his clothes, and he was very much alike his companion, for now.

Fabrisíus showed him different parts of the palace, making comments, and finally, he brought Niccolò to the garden near the long gallery that went around the palace. They had been walking there for some time already.

Suddenly, Niccolò stopped.

“I’ve forgot… I left my mobile in those rooms where we had been earlier,” He said.

“What?” That time, Fabrisíus was surprised, and Niccolò noticed that, not without a sense of malicious joy.

“It does not matter. Could we just return, please?”

“Well, if you want to do so…”

They came up to the stairs that went back to the palace, beginning to ascend them, when loud voices resounded before Niccolò and Fabrisíus. When they ascended the stairs, a crowd of people appeared near the balustrade, going out from inner galleries.

There were many people dressed in the same robes but more finely looking ones, and some of these people had jewels on them. In the midst of crowd, there was a tall muscular man with a wide chest and a long white beard; he wore an armor that seemed to have a medieval look, and he has a long staff magnificent carved in his hand. A black crow was sitting on his shoulder, and its baleful red eyes were scary.

Niccolò felt a hand of Fabrisíus on his shoulder. He squeezed it a little as if telling Niccolò to be quiet and they tried to walk around the crowd.

Suddenly, the man in the center of the crowd said, “Hey, you!”

Niccolò tried to walk beside Fabrisíus as if that was no concern of his, but the other people caught up with them, making them to stop.

“My lord?” Fabrisíus turned around and bowed to the man, and after a short moment of dismay, Niccolò did just the same.

“You!” The man was looking right at Niccolò now. “Bring us the bows and the targets from an armoury. We shall practice shooting.”

Niccolò nodded, bowing to him again, and then he turned around intending to leave that place as soon as possible. He did not know why his heart was pounding so hard, but he was hoping to get out of there fast.

“Wait.” The imperious tone of the man’s voice made him to stop dead in his tracks.

Niccolò began to turn around when the man caught up with him, striking him with his staff under his knees from behind.

The blow was of such a force that Niccolò fell on the stone floor like a broken doll.

“Who’s that?” The man was standing right before him now, and his staff pointed at Niccolò.

Niccolò groaned from pain and tried to raise himself on his elbows, noticing a face of Fabrisíus in the crowd. He thought that he would come up to him, say something, help him to explain all; however, Fabrisíus turned around and disappeared quickly behind backs of other people.

“It is a human, All-Father,” Somebody said from the crowd, and a pair of women gasped in disbelief.

“A human.” The reserved voice of the man boded ill, and his smile frightened Niccolò. The crow on the shoulder of the man, whom they called All-Father, cawed, flapping its wings and Niccolò tried to crawl away, though without success as the crowd gathered around them, leaving them in a circle.

All-Father came up closer to him, raising the chin of Niccolò with the end of his staff.

“How did you get here?”

Niccolò’s head was thrown back and, having waited with bated breath, he said one word only, “Loki.”

“Loki?” All-Father bent closer to Niccolò, grasping him by his hair, making Niccolò to look right into his eyes. “Has he dragged you here?”

“Listen, I… I meant no harm; I didn’t even ask him for that…” Niccolò felt pain as All-Father yanked his hair, making him to stop his pleas. Niccolò’s fingers closed over Odin’s wrist; however, it did not make his suffering easier.

“How curious. It is a pity my son is not here to confirm your words. However, I think that there is a more convenient way to find that out,” With these words, Odin straightened and shouted to the crowd, “Guards!”

A pair of warriors appeared before them both at once, and having looked at the guards, Odin ordered them, “Throw the human in the dungeons. I shall pay him a visit later.”

 

**

Loki stood beside the stone disk, his hair disheveled by the wind that started to blow suddenly. Vague contours of an interdimensional portal began to form themselves in the air and all sounds of the surrounding area ceased to be.

He was ready to attack when the portal had become stabilized and several creatures with strange fierce red eyes went through it, forming a circle around him.

The creature that was standing closer to Loki, hissed, raising his plasma gun, but Loki ducked, managing to go away quickly from the firing point.

The contours of the portal floating in the air caught his attention as they were beginning to dissolve.

He run towards the portal, jumping into it as the Chitauri who had missed him, tried to fire at him again. To his utter surprise, Loki was gone, having teleported in another world already.

**

Loki made several steps forward and stopped, looking at the dancing shadows on walls, which were created by magical bluish flames, floating over his head. Crystals of unknown mineral glowing green in the darkness mysteriously, were hanging from ceiling, here and there.

On the other side of portal, he discovered a strange deep underground labyrinth, which seemed to be nearly endless. It was complex to the point of being nearly impossible to get through.

Blue shadows danced on the walls, making him to look at them pointedly.

After a while, he sighed and sat at the wall, intending to cast something to explore labyrinth without his immediate interference.

Out of nowhere, an emerald sphere of light raised in the air from his palms and floated above, and then it flew somewhere further down the corridor. Loki closed his eyes, resting against the cold stone wall, creating a mental image of the route which the sphere was exploring at the moment.

He had been sitting in that position for some time when he heard low murmuring and quiet sounds of steps. There had been someone out there, who was going along the corridor towards him, closing on him with each step.

Loki sprang to his feet, opening his eyes. His mental link with the tracking sphere had disappeared completely, leaving it floating forgotten somewhere in the dark. He could only hope its greenish light would be easily mistaken for the light of labyrinth crystals.

Loki was standing there listening intently and then he began to move in the opposite direction, trying to discern, where his way was leading, from the mental map that he had been creating during the last hour.

He remembered the large hall, which was leading to the massive armored door; the sphere had been there before choosing the way past it and into the depths of that large underground structure. He had no doubts that dungeons, where prisoners were kept, had to be after that door.

_That is, if they keep them at all…_

Loki cast a spell of invisibility, registering at the same time, how the steps behind his back became louder. His pursuers were running after him now, having detected his presence already somehow.

After a minute of running which, for him, was lasting for hours, he ran out of the corridor right into the hall, which was empty, having left him without any place to hide and defend.

He turned, having noticed at once angry flaming red eyes of Chitauri with the gun pointed right at him.

“What may you want here?” The creature hissed the words in the Common Tongue.

“You”, Loki smiled serenely and raised up Gungnir in one quick motion, ready for a battle.


	17. Chitauri's Hell

He had been dragged through long tunnels, the darkness was overwhelming him. Walls of those tunnels were carved in the stone. The strange greenish light from crystals hanging from the ceilings and walls cast shadows on their surroundings, its fleeting dance made the absurd reality of all that even more bizarre.

The creatures around him were of a reptilian origin, with eyes of flame glowing in the darkness ominously. They carried and dragged him for hours; at least it seemed to be for him so.

The net made from multiple cords glistening with reddish black oil held him, not letting to go, and all his struggles against the net only had him entangling in it more and more, only to get him dirty with oil.

He cursed at them at first, but _Chitauri_ did not listen to his swearing. They were more concerned about having to carry the net, which was not a trivial task, as his body, well-built and strong, was too heavy to lift even for Asgardians.

He made one last attempt of tearing the net asunder, using all his strength in the process. The cords had started to throttle him and that made him to cease his futile struggle.

The fierce cries and occasional hits of Chitauri were not registering in his mind anymore; now he was in a half-stasis from the lack of oxygen. After that, the way below had been more like descending in Helheimr for him.

Images of this damned metallic disc sticking out of yellowed grass, covered with alien symbols, flashed under his lids, making him to want to vomit. He felt weak and disoriented, an unusual experience to undergo for the prince of Asgard and eventually – the king of all Nine Worlds.

Sometimes, he saw the paws of Chitauri holding onto him, and their blasted eyes glowing red and it lasted and it lasted and there was no end to this nightmare…

Rather unexpectedly, Chitauri stopped before the large metal door which looked strangely here amidst cold ancient stone and green crystals. There were deep carvings on it forming beautiful dazzling patterns he had seen nowhere in Nine Worlds before; their complexity and total intricacy was totally beyond him.

The beasts began to quarrel loudly over the door which was not opening as fast as they apparently wanted. Plasma guns were taken out, and for a moment, it seemed as if they were going to shoot each other, but then, somebody large and tall beyond any words came out from behind the door, and all the sounds ceased to be.

He bent over his captive enmeshed in the net, glancing at his massive body almost admiringly; his face was cringed in a parody of a smile.

“I cannot believe that, visiting us in this distant world… Prince Thor, is that really you?”

Thor bared his teeth, growling at his captors, the sight of face of _the Other_ had given him a bout of strength.

“You will regret that you dare to imprison an Aesir prince,” Thor snarled at his face.

The Other threw back his head and laughed, but the sight of that only aroused Thor’s ire.

“I order you to release me immediately, or your race will be eliminated,” Thor’s red face spoke volumes about all that he thought.

“By whom? Aesir?” The Other said these words, laughing, as if mocking him. “They won’t be able to find us here. And I am astonished at your boldness, getting near Chitauri gates, looking for the entrance, don’t you have any self-preservative instinct at all?..”

He grabbed Thor’s chin and looked right in his eyes, despite the baleful look of the Asgardian prince.

“Our race is much more ancient than yours, doesn’t that frighten you? Nobody is older in the entire Galaxy than we are.”

“Apart from jotuns,” Thor spat the words with uttermost contempt, despite the cords still strangling him.

“Jotnar…” The Other drawled his words. “Do you really think they will break here in these tunnels looking for you desperately?”

“Oh, but my brother will.”

“So much the worse for him. Now, enough of that nonsense. Let’s play with you for a while.”

**

Amidst flickering lights of glowing crystals, Loki stood, with Gungnir in his hand; only soot flakes falling in the air were left from his opponents. Sometimes, Gungnir’s power was unpredictable, Loki would rather prefer to end the duel in a more common way, with his enemies killed by the blast of magical energy, without any fire.

He wiped his face and noticed that his palm was covered in black smudges now. Gungnir was still vibrating with hidden power of magic trying to break out and _burn_ somebody, leaving nothing more than a tiny handful of ashes.

Loki sighed, and turned around to look at the metal armored door standing in his way. It was so large, with intricate carvings and without any keyhole or door-handle.

_This one is clearly activated by spells or some electronic gear…_

Loki was not in the mood to spend hours and hours before the door, trying different spells to force it to open, but the latest Gungnir’s misbehaving had made him more cautious.

He casted a spell, sensing almost at the physical level how the gears inside the thick layers of metal began to shift. Several clicks rang out in a rapid succession, and Loki froze, feeling sick with apprehension.

Several seconds later, a harsh unpleasant grating sound rang out, and Loki frowned. The door did not open, and he struck it with his fist in a sudden bout of anger.

Now, Loki was standing very close to the door, pressing with all his body on to it. He moved his open palm, trying to find something out of ordinary, hidden in the innumerable carvings on the metal layer. Then he placed his ear against the door, and for one long moment, he thought that he had heard a loud cry of pain of someone behind that door.

Loki was not sure if that had really happened or it had been a figment of his imagination. His fingers ran against the carvings touching them carefully, and suddenly he found something slightly protruding from the alien looking patterns and pressed on it.

The door started to move, and Loki jumped from it, giving a way to the complex mechanism unlocking and opening a large passage in the stone leading somewhere far beyond.

**

He moved about the corridors more carefully now, as the feeling that he had been watched lingered in his mind almost constantly. At one moment, Loki reached the stone stairs without any railing that descended further into the darkness.

He decided against casting any illumination spell, being beware of possible monsters below. Instead, he made a pair of steps closer to the wall, touching it, and began his descent, trying not to lose his footing.

Very quickly, the steps became so narrow that he had to use Gungnir, standing on one step and trying to find another one with it, in order not to fall from the stairs.

He had no idea how Chitauri had been able to drag Thor with them along these stairs, having made an assumption that they had managed to use levitation somehow.

Several minutes later, a rock had fallen from under the soles of his boots, and Loki lost his footing. Gungnir fell out from his hand, and right down in the darkness below. Loki heard its clanking on the stone floor of the underground chamber, but it was not that important for him already, as he was falling, too.

**

His fingers were stirring up the dust, when Loki rose up slowly from the cold floor of the chamber with cracks on it in the place where he had fallen. He had managed to cry a few words of a spell that was usually used by Aesir mages in order to alleviate falls, but that incident left him out of breath for several long minutes. Loki could not find Gungnir anywhere in the closer vicinity, so he used his fingers to form a sign of night vision, opening his eyes widely, trying to see…

_Like a cat in a darkness…_

All had become slightly blurred in his eyes and gained a sort of grayish and greenish colors, but then he could see all objects surrounding him.

Gungnir was on the other side of the chamber, near the base of the stairs, slightly glistening in the utmost darkness, but that intensity of its fluorescence could be only noticed by ghouls and cats, and if not for the spell Loki had used earlier, it could take a long time to find it in the vast chamber.

Slowly, trying not to misstep again and trip over in the process, Loki went into that direction, but as he came up to it closer, a loud bang stunned him and suddenly a fierce light beginning to shine ahead of him made Loki nearly blind. The night vision spell became dangerous, but Loki could not make it to wear off in one moment. Instead, he dived ahead of him to that place where Gungnir had been, and felt his fingers wrapped around its shaft.

Two dark figures appeared before him in the light, but Loki had not a time to look at them. This time, Gungnir had worked just perfectly, and the silhouettes fell to the ground silently.

Having finished blinking his eyes, Loki was able to discern what was happening before him. The mysterious light happened to be a light from torches shining brightly from behind the door that was opened now, and dark figures on the floor were the corpses of Chitauri, badly burnt with the flames of Gungnir.

Wrinkling his nose from the smell of the burnt flesh, Loki had stepped over them, and was heading straight to the door.

**

A loud cry had split the still air, and Loki recognized this voice at once. That had been Thor, swearing at his captors.

It gave Loki a moment that he needed to get right to the door and steal a look in the small chamber. There had been Thor hanging from a hook there, his hands had been tied together with steel chains, and enchanted runes were covering them.

An alien giant was standing before Thor who had already lost a consciousness, touching his scarred ribs, marred with fresh wounds. Twisted knives and tongs covered in blood could be seen on the table near them, they were shining brightly in the light of the torches.

Apart from two of them, there hadn’t been anybody else in the room, apparently Loki managed to kill the remaining guards when they had walked out of the chamber.

The giant was too tall for Loki’s liking, by his looks, he could easily crush skulls of his opponents with his bare hands, and there had also been a plasma rifle on his back. That would be a suicide for Loki to fight that deadly opponent in a close combat.  

Anyways, it seemed to be that Loki had not got time to stand and think over his opponent’s weak spots, as the giant, apparently being disturbed by something, maybe a smell of burnt flesh, began turning around, and that stirred up Loki in action.

An air-blast generated by the tip of Loki’s spear rolled through the chamber throwing off the giant to a distant wall. Loki used that moment to break up the chains that Thor had been restrained with, and to use a teleport amulet, having grabbed Thor’s arm.


End file.
